Eamonn Holmes: This Morning star opens up on 'vulnerability' after losing £60K to conman

The 59-year-old Northern Irish presenter was the victim of fraudster Jay Cartmill back in 2011. “The effect it has on you is that it makes you suspicious of everyone and everything and you feel very, very vulnerable,” Eamonn Holmes told The Sun. The This Morning star recalled how he had thought he had been hacked whilst on holiday with wife Ruth Langsford, 58, in Dubai, before finding out the scam had occurred in Belfast. Cartmill spent two weeks in a hotel posing as Holmes and spending his money on lavish sprees. The ITV star explained how he had received a call from his bank asking if he had bought £25,000 of paving stones and 400 metres of wood panelling, alerting him to the scam.

“The guy with the brain hacks your account, the Mafioso lot pay him money, they take your details and they live off them,” Holmes said.

“It was the most ridiculous situation but the scandalous thing is that when it went to court the judge said it was victimless crime, because they will say the bank will reimburse me and I could afford it.”

Cartmill also famously conned radio and TV presenter Stephen Nolan, 45, and earned himself a reputation as one of Northern Ireland’s most notorious conmen due to his high-profile celebrity victims.

The fraudster appeared in court in 2014 on a total of 76 charges, which included obtaining goods and services by falsely claiming he had authorisation to use a debit card issued in Holmes’ name.

He admitted to accessing a credit card issued to Nolan and also impersonating Holmes.

Cartmill ended up with a two-year suspended sentence and didn’t serve any time behind bars.

Holmes married his This Morning co-host Langsford in 2010 and they share teenage son Jack together.

He also has three children from his first marriage to Gabrielle.

Longford, who competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, and Holmes have presented ITV’s topical morning programme This Morning since 2006.

Earlier this month, they revealed why they have separate rooms at home.

Speaking on the Series Linked podcast, Holmes explained how they have different TV viewing habits, with him preferring to watch current affairs and sports shows while his wife is more into soaps and reality shows.

He revealed: “Even if she was luring me in [to her room], she would actually say, ‘You can come in here, only if you don’t ask any questions. You can’t ask… don’t be interrupting me with anything.’”

Despite their differences in TV taste, the pair have previously said they do sleep in the same bed together.

“I like being in the same bed as you,” she said on This Morning. “Even though I keep you up with my snoring.”

Turning to the cameras, her famous husband said: “Ruth doesn’t like being up close and personal, do you?”

“Not all night,” she replied. “I don’t mind having a cuddle, but then I’m like, ‘That’s your side now, I’m a bit hot.’”

source: express.co.uk