Eamonn Holmes complaints over ‘disrespectful’ gaffe on This Morning

The former GMTV anchor has apologised after using the word “retard” during Friday’s live edition of the magazine programme.

A handful of sensitive viewers complained to ITV Studios – the production company behind the programme – after Holmes jokingly suggested one of the guests was ‘a retard’. Holmes presents the long running daytime series on Fridays along with his wife Ruth Langsford (pictured below, right) and is also a main presenter for Sky News Sunrise.

ITV viewers felt the comment on This Morning yesterday crossed the taste line, and even basic respect, when it slipped out during a discussion looking at the news a third of British people didn’t know in what order of population or where some of the UK’s biggest cities are.

The debate about the location and which is the biggest out of Birmingham, Glasgow and London lead to a witty retort from actor Johnathan Wilkes, about Manchester being in the top three largest cities, to which Holmes responded with “What are you – a retard?”

Later he made an apology, “I have to say sorry to three of four of you who are upset because I used the word `retarded’. You seem to think I am being insulting. I would never want to do that. There is this man who has an autistic child and said I insulted his child”.

Some viewers called for the former BBC Open Air host to be sacked because of the mis-judged comment. No This Morning viewer complained about the lack of intelligence the programme highlighted across the UK.

Last October Ruth Langsford also made the news when she turned the airwaves blue with the f-word as she tripped while walking to another part of the This Morning studio. She was heard saying: ‘”Oh hang on, we’re not there yet – f**k.” Langsford however didn’t at first realise her swearing had gone out to ITV viewers, thinking a pre-recorded trailer was airing at the time of the incident.