Impossible shoes to fill.
Like many of you, I was genuinely shocked to hear that Eamonn Holmes had been taken ill with a stroke last week. He’s someone I’ve grown up watching, a familiar presence in our homes for decades. For so many of us, he doesn’t just feel like a broadcaster; he feels like a friend.
I haven’t worked with Eamonn as closely as Ellie Costello or as long as Dawn Neesom, but the time I have spent with him has shaped my career in ways I’ll never forget.
When I first joined GB News, I started out covering the papers on Breakfast alongside him. I remember my first show vividly. At the end of the segment, he pulled me aside and asked, “Alex, do you have a job?”
I wasn’t quite sure how to take it at first. I explained what I was doing at the time, slightly unsure of where the conversation was going.
He looked at me and said, “Well, you should be doing this full-time. Tell the team I want you back here every week”. Just like that, everything changed.
That moment was the start of my journey at GB News. Week after week, he gave me guidance, honest feedback, and the kind of support you don’t forget.
He pushed me to be better, sharper, more confident. And every now and then, he’d let me off the leash a little, even giving me the chance to have a proper go at a politician during the morning round. Those sorts of gestures are totally unheard of in this industry, and it's a testament to the kind of man Eamonn is.
Looking back on those moments now makes the news of his stroke even harder to take. And to be asked to step in for him, well, it's something I don’t take lightly.
I was shocked to hear about Eammon - these are impossible shoes to fill. We miss him dearly - Alex Armstrong | Getty Images
That moment was the start of my journey at GB News. Week after week, he gave me guidance, honest feedback, and the kind of support you don’t forget.
He pushed me to be better, sharper, more confident. And every now and then, he’d let me off the leash a little, even giving me the chance to have a proper go at a politician during the morning round. Those sorts of gestures are totally unheard of in this industry, and it's a testament to the kind of man Eamonn is.
Looking back on those moments now makes the news of his stroke even harder to take. And to be asked to step in for him, well, it's something I don’t take lightly.
I know I can’t fill those shoes. No one can. But what I can do is show up, support Ellie, and give everything I have to do him proud.
Eamonn, if you're reading this, get better soon and get back to work as soon as you feel you can. From the whole GB News family, we miss you dearly.