Monday February 28, 07:48 PM
Press Association
GMTV presenter Eamonn Holmes is quitting the show because it is 'formulaic and no longer covers real news'..
Days after announcing his departure, Holmes hit out at the programme he has worked on for the past 12 years.
The presenter said he yearned for the days when he reported on breaking news stories and was tired of interviewing celebrities on the sofa.
"The show's changed a lot since I started out. I was here when we really put the emphasis on journalism, on getting stories, on making sure we got out there and met people," he told the Daily Mirror.
"It is what you live for. That's what you are and what you do. I went to Dunblane, I went to Omagh. There's no scope for that sort of programme-making now and I deeply regret that. The show has changed utterly."
Holmes said presenting GMTV day in, day out, gave him the feeling of Groundhog Day.
"There are only so many interviews and campaigns you can do. The same things happen at the same time on GMTV, it's so rigid and formulaic I can break it all down into 10 minute segments."
The 45-year-old star said his mother begged him to stay in the job and told him he was making the worst mistake of his life by quitting.
His children were also upset by the decision - they live in Belfast with their mother and switching on the TV in the morning is their only way to see him every day.
Holmes is upset by their reactions but said: "Kids and old people like routine. But they don't have to do it - I do."
