Eamonn Holmes has said his ongoing back issues have led to “strain” at home with wife Ruth Langsford.
The 62-year-old TV presenter, who has previously had double hip surgery, said the pain has made him increasingly grumpy and he struggles to walk.
He said this means his wife and former This Morning co-star has to wait on him, and his sons have become “embarrassed” by his situation.
He told The Sun: “I don’t walk – it’s more of a wobble. It has been very difficult this year.
“My problem is a trapped sciatic nerve, but I don’t even know quite how it initially happened.
“For months now I haven’t been able to walk, sometimes at all, and it has really taken its toll on everyone around me too.
“I can’t bend down to pick things up so Ruth ends up having to wait on me, and I know my sons particularly are a bit embarrassed by the way I move around.
“I had to stop driving and sold my car back to the dealer too, which felt quite emasculating, and I have to use a hook to pull my trousers up when I’m getting dressed in the morning and something else to get my shoes and socks on.
“It just makes everything so much harder.”
Holmes said he is working with a trainer who has helped Premier League footballers, who has given him exercises and instructed him to take ice baths.
He added: “It’s slow progress, and part of the problem is you feel like you have to hide it all the time because as soon as people think you’ve got an issue like this they write you off.
“Even my own family are bored of my moaning. It has caused some strain and Ruth is fed up of hearing about it and of me saying I can’t walk the dog or tidy up, but I can’t help it. It’s agony.
“I take Tramadol sometimes to help it but you can’t take them all the time and they will only give you so much.
“It gets me through a Saturday if we have plans, and suddenly everyone has a nice time again – but then the pain comes back.”
Make it a #NewYearResolution … Breakfast with Eamonn & Isabel from Monday on #GBNews . Let us wake you up 👍🤗🤗🤗☕🍳🥓🥐🥞🧇 pic.twitter.com/DAZqXUOlCG
— Eamonn Holmes OBE (@EamonnHolmes) January 1, 2022
Holmes will launch a new breakfast show on GB News on Monday, bringing to an end his on-screen pairing with Langsford on ITV’s This Morning.
He said this has already led to some trouble at home, after he suggested his wife might prefer to sleep in the guest bedroom because of his 2.45am alarm calls.
He told the newspaper: “I was trying to be considerate. I really struggle getting myself dressed in the mornings because of my back problems, and the last thing she wants is me clattering around with the lights on at 3am.
“In our bedroom we’ve got a bathroom that works really well for getting ready for work, and all my clothes and the extra things I’ve been using to help get myself dressed are there too, so I just thought it might be good if she went to the other room.
“She glared at me angrily and told me in no uncertain terms that she won’t be moving, so I think that means I’m being turfed out. She was deadly serious.”