Gogglebox issue apology to Eamonn Holmes after 'cruel edit' complaint

He received a ton of backlash for his comments

Author: Alex RossPublished 8th Jun 2020
Last updated 8th Jun 2020

The second series of Celebrity Gogglebox kicked off on our screens on Friday 5th June, featuring stars like Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon, Denise van Outen and her partner Eddie Boxshall, and married couple Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford.

With shows like Ambulance, Britain's Got Talent and Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow all featuring, it was This Morning host Eamonn Holmes who was the real talking point of episode one.

After watching the harrowing moment on BBC show Ambulance, which saw a 10-year-old saving his dad from a heart attack whilst being instructed on CPR over the phone by 999 operator, Eamonn's comments didn't sit well with viewers.

Whilst the rest of the cast were pretty much left in tears at the scene, Eamonn quickly started talking about the moment he took wife Ruth to hospital when she was in labour with their son Jack, leading to great backlash for the presenter.

After receiving the backlash on social media, on Friday night Eamonn issued a statement, accusing the show of editing him in a 'cruel and idiotic' edit.

He told fans, 'In reply to a number of complaints.... I am hurt beyond belief that @C4Gogglebox chose not to use me talking about my Father dying from a Heart Attack at the side of a road and replace it with a funny story following a young lad giving his Father CPR . Idiotic and cruel edit.

'So following a tragedy that has forever haunted my family, I am in no mood for criticising holier than thou mouthpieces on here who haven't gone through what we did. I had nothing but praise and emotion for the Ambulance control room TV programme. An atrocious edit.'

Eamonn then added, 'How my Father died was a particularly horrible experience for my Mother , my younger brother and his friend who were all in the car. The resuscitation in The BBC Ambulance programme was as close as could be to my Dad's passing.Yet I am the one edited to make it look like a laugh.' (sic)

After seeing Eamonn's comments, Channel 4 bosses have now re-edited episode one and issued a full apology to the 60-year-old.

The statement reads, 'We have apologised to Eamonn over what happened in this week's episode. We understand and respect Eamonn's feelings on such a deeply personal story. We have taken the decision to edit the episode for future repeats and All4. We look forward to working with Eamonn and Ruth for the rest of the series.' (sic)

After re-sharing the statement with his own followers, it appears both Eamonn and his wife Ruth are more than willing to continue filming the show, with Eamonn telling fans, 'For those who judged me wrongly. I think it's important you read this.

'It was a bad edit and we move on with what should be a fun experience on what is almost always a very entertaining programme. Thank you @C4Gogglebox'. (sic)

Check out the real life jobs of the Gogglebox cast:

Ellie and Izzi Warner

Sisters Ellie and Izzi Warner from Leeds first joined the show back in 2015.


Izzi welcomed her baby girl, Bessie Rose, in February 2020, and after making a living as a nail technician has now qualified to be a mortgage adviser.


Meanwhile, Izzi's sister Ellie is a hairdresser!

Pete and Sophie

Brother and sister duo Pete and Sophie Sandiford first joined the cast in 2017. Whilst Sophie dresses shop windows for a living, brother Pete works for an insurance company.

The Siddiqui family

The Siddiqui family, made up of Umar, Baasit and their dad Sid, have become Gogglebox legends since joining the show back in series 1.


Dad Sid is a retired engineer, he also worked for the NHS for 37 years. Baasit is an IT teacher in a secondary school whilst Umar has also works for the NHS, he has been a Biomedical Scientist in Microbiology at the Royal Derby Hospital for 17 years.

The Malone family

The Malone family, made up of Tom, Julie, Tom Jnr and Shaun, are one of the most popular families with fans. They first joined the cast in 2014.


As often documented on the show, Tom Jr is a professional dancer, but he also works as a freelance model! In March 2021, he announced he would be a chair-tester for an office supplies company, before quitting Gogglebox to pursue other career options.


His brother Shaun is a football coach, whilst dad Tom is a lorry driver and mum Julie is a receptionist.

Stephen Webb and Daniel Lustig

Stephen Webb has appeared on every single series of Gogglebox, and in 2019 his husband Daniel Lustig joined him! The pair chose to leave in 2023, with Stephen announcing he was set to appear on the 2024 series of Dancing On Ice. Unfortunately for Stephen, he was forced to withdraw from the show after breaking his ankle.


The pair both work as hairdressers.

Dave and Shirley

Welsh couple Dave and Shirley, who have been married for over 40 years, first joined the show back in 2015.


Shirley works in retail and Dave is a factory worker.

Tremaine, Twaine and Tristan

Tremaine, Twaine and Tristan, brothers from Bristol, joined back in 2016, but the trio didn't appear on series 15.


Whilst Tremaine is a chef, Twaine is a winger for Hereford FC and Tristan used to be a semi-professional footballer for Bristol FC but is now playing for Bitton AFC.

Giles and Mary

Gogglebox fans fell in love with Giles and his wife Mary when they joined the cast in 2015.


Although it's not known what he does for a living, in series 15, Giles revealed he actually retired at the age of 21. Meanwhile, it's understood Mary writes as an 'agony aunt' for an online magazine.


The married couple are also reportedly good friends with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Jenny and Lee

Best friends Jenny and Lee first joined the show on series 4 back in 2014.


Although it's not known what the pair do for a living now, they first became friends when Jenny was a land lady at The Crown Inn in Paull, and Lee was a regular customer!

Sue and Steve

Married couple Sue and Steve first appeared on the show back in 2019.


Steve is a taxi driver in London.

Celebrity Gogglebox continues every Friday night at 9pm on Channel 4.

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