7 Things You Didn't Know About Ruth Langsford

Ruth Langsford was born in Singapore, her army family lived in 10 different countries before she was 10. She and Eamonn Holmes now live in Weybridge, Surrey, with their son Jack, 13, and their rescue dog Maggie.

1. Ruth feels happier now than ever before

'I feel more confident at 55 than I've ever been. I think it's a combination of age, experience and caring less. Accepting your shape is a huge thing. When you're young, you want to follow whatever the fashion is. If that fashion is wispy sundresses, well I've got big boobs so anything with thin straps is a no-no. But you don't think like that when you're younger. Now I'm like, 'Oh that's a shame the fashion this season is strappy dresses; I won't be buying that.' You don't necessarily like your shape but you accept it.'

2. Ruth has learned to dress for her shape

'I'm a good size 12/14. A lot of women on TV are much smaller, so I'm one of the bigger women on TV today. And television really accentuates that. But I try not to obsess about it. I tend to wear outfits that are form-fitting. Draping, for instance, doesn't work on TV. I wear a lot of Phase Eight as well as a company called Diva, who do great TV dresses. They're a good length and they're stretchy. I need that elasticity on This Morning as I move around the studio a lot. There are loads of times when I forget to hold my stomach in, though. Then I see a shot of myself and think, 'Ooooh, my pot belly!' I'll have people on Twitter saying, 'Are you pregnant?' And I think, 'Well, that would be a surprise at my age!''

3. Ruth gets upset when people criticise Eamonn's weight

'I do get upset when people talk about my husband like he's 10-Ton Ted. I don't feel I'm the gatekeeper to Eamonn's health because he's a grown man and he can eat what he wants. But you do get very defensive. He has a bad hip so he can't exercise as much as he'd like. And we're both in our fifties and it gets harder. But he takes it all on the chin. The one thing that no one can say is that Eamonn Holmes isn't a good presenter. So because they can't say that, they find something else to say.'

4. Ruth and Eamonn got engaged by text message

'Eamonn proposed to me by text message. In was in 2010 and were at Cheltenham Races. My side of the story was that I had noticed Eamonn had disappeared. But I was having a lovely time drinking champagne. Then when we were leaving, he said, 'Your phone is beeping, you've got a text!' I saw a message from Eamonn so I thought, 'Oh, he's sent me a saucy text!' I clicked on it and it was the most beautiful love letter and at the end of it, he had written, 'Would you please marry me?' We were being driven back at the time, and didn't know the driver, so I texted him back saying, 'Yes please!' We held hands the rest of the way, dying to get home.'

His side of the story is that he was watching a group of men flirting with me and thought, 'Look at them flirting with my wife.' And then he thought, 'Actually she's not my wife. Why isn't she my wife?' So he composed this love letter. That's Eamonn; he's very spontaneous. He wears his heart on his sleeve. I'm much more reserved. I will show my love by doing things, cooking for him or just taking care of him. If I do ever tell him I love him, it's normally by text because I find that easier. But if I haven't seen him for a while, my heart still skips a beat. I'll get a flutter when he walks into the room.'

5. Ruth became a mother at 41

'I don't feel like an older mother. Women are definitely waiting longer to have children. We have our careers and it's a tough choice. Still, I think it is something young women need to think about. I was so lucky - to conceive naturally at 41 when my eggs weren't at their freshest, and then go on and have a natural birth and a healthy child. Statistically, that goes against you. I hate to sound preachy but I always say to young producers who are getting married, 'Don't wait too long because of your job.' A job's a job, but if you really want to be a mother, don't give yourself that heartache of finding out, 10 years down the line, that you can't conceive.'

6. Ruth has first hand experience of Alzheimer's Disease

'My father was diagnosed with dementia in the late 1990s, and I fought against it for a long time. He died, aged 84, in 2012. The best advice I could give anybody who has a family member with Azheimer's is to accept it. I didn't accept it for a very long time. I tried to make him remember things as I thought that could help him. I'd argue when he got things wrong, which probably upset him more. But once you accept it, and what they're saying, you just join in. You enter their world.'

7. Ruth and Eammon have discussed retiring

'At the age we are now, Eamonn and I have started thinking about retirement. I'm really looking forward to the years ahead we'll have together, when maybe Jack has gone to university. Doing simple things like driving to Brighton, walking on the beach and having fish and chips. As much as I love my job, I'm looking forward to those years. I'm also looking forward to slipping into a nice pair of elasticated trousers. No one will know who I am then so I can just mooch about the supermarket and be comfortable.'