Coleen Nolan told of her admiration for the 64-year-old star who returned to the ITV daytime show in July after taking time off after split with husband.

Ruth Langsford has dealt with her split from husband Eamonn Holmes with ‘dignity and pride’, (Image: Getty)

Ruth Langsford has dealt with her split from husband Eamonn Holmes with “dignity and pride”, says her LooseWomen co-star Coleen Nolan.

Coleen told of her admiration for Ruth, 64, who returned to the ITV daytime show in July after taking time off amid the end of her 14-year marriage to Eamonn, also 64.

The former Nolan Sisters star, 59, said: “Ruth and I keep in touch all the time. She’s back at work now, which is great because I really missed her.

“I don’t want to say too much because it’s not my business to say Ruth’s life, but what I will say from a friend’s point of view is I’ve never met anyone that has handled something with so much dignity and pride.

“She’s just such a lady, more of a lady than I’ll ever be. She’s been abso- lutely amazing, she really has.” Coleen said Ruth was doing well and had stayed “strong” during the split, refusing to speak out about it.

Asked if she had given Ruth any advice, Coleen told Woman magazine: “I’ve given her advice but she doesn’t listen to me [laughs].

“I’m going, ‘How can you not say anything?’ But I don’t need to give her advice. We send each other lovely memes and I’ll send her messages about staying strong and I’ll always send her a text asking how is she today or how she is doing.

“I just love her and I’m in awe of how she’s handled everything. She’s so elegant and fabulous.”

Ruth was left devastated last month after learning Eamonn is being consoled through the split by a younger woman.

Relationship counsellor Katie Alexander, 42, has been on a number of dates with the GB News presenter in the past 12 months as well as being pictured at his home. The pair have more recently been on holiday together too.

It is thought Eamonn and Ruth would like a divorce finalised in the coming months but there is understood to be a long way to go. Speaking at the TRIC awards in June, Eamonn said: “I’m not OK. This is not a good time at all.”

When asked about whether he and Ruth will continue to have a relationship of any kind, Eamonn added: “It’s too early to say but I hope we can still be friends.”

Eamonn and Ruth met in 1997 when they were introduced by mutual friends and they then dated for over a decade before they wed in 2010.

Before the split they had not been photographed together for two years.