She is the lady known for lighting up Eamonn Holmes’ world following the end of his 14-year marriage to Ruth Langsford last year.

Beautiful and captivating, Katie Alexander, an attractive woman in her 40s whom Eamonn had originally encountered 12 years before parting ways with Ruth, seemed like the ideal partner to help the Belfast-born presenter move beyond the challenges and sorrow of his breakup.

Not to mention her profession: Katie is a marriage counselor, which Ruth’s acquaintances have playfully remarked upon, noting that she could likely guide him through his own divorce process.

However, a year after their initial appearance together, those familiar with Eamonn and Katie attest that now might be the time when her expertise is most needed. 

After experiencing a year filled with joy and extravagant vacations (including a complimentary cruise last September, just four months post-separation from Ruth, during which he and Katie were photographed ready to embark on their romantic Mediterranean journey), reality seems to have set in.

‘Let’s just say the honeymoon period looks like it is very much at its end,’ one friend tells me, suggesting their romance is ‘struggling’. 

‘He’s moodier than ever, and his ongoing health issues [he suffers from chronic back pain] aren’t helping the situation. Nevertheless, instead of drawing nearer to Katie and finding stability, he’s spending more time with his family in Belfast, often minus her company.

‘The lavish gifts and the swanky holidays don’t seem to have made him any happier.’

That sentiment was echoed by some of Eamonn’s colleagues at GB News, who describe him as ‘very, very moany’ – with one saying he’s ‘a miserable goat even on a good day’.

‘He goes into GB News in the morning, and he moans and moans,’ the colleague says. 

‘It seems to be fizzling out for him. He is very low – the only thing that cheers him is going to work, he loves working.’ 

No doubt the income is helpful too, following a battle with HMRC over a tax bill which has left him with far less money than he had hoped for in his mid-60s. 

But amid his health and financial woes, it seemed the 65-year-old had found renewed romantic contentment.

Yet while, according to the source, Katie has enjoyed the spotlight that comes with being with the broadcaster, their relationship has become mired in arguments.

‘Katie loves being part of the fame thing, but while it all seems so appealing on paper, in reality it isn’t that easy,’ the pal tells me. 

‘They have a very fiery and at times strained relationship.’

Last month, Eamonn and Katie, 43, appeared stony-faced as they watched his beloved Manchester United from a VIP box at the club’s Old Trafford stadium. 

Eamonn was seen looking at his phone while his lover – dressed up to the nines – looked distinctly unamused. 

Shortly before that, the pair were pictured together in Belfast in an outing described by a friend as ‘decidedly frosty’.

Part of the problem is logistics: after leaving the marital home in Surrey, Eamonn now rents a flat in Kingston, south-west London, and Katie spends most of the week in her native Yorkshire, where her teenage children with ex-husband George Alexander are based.

Perhaps tellingly, Eamonn recently decided against buying a new property for the pair to share.

Nor does it help that tensions surround his work. Health problems have seen him take several enforced breaks from his daily GB News show, while there was an excruciatingly embarrassing incident earlier this year when he fell off his chair live on air, prompting chaos behind the scenes.

Eamonn, who is still negotiating his divorce from Ruth, has also faced the heartbreak of a row with the couple’s son, Jack, who is embarking on his own television career.

Father and son had always been close – but Jack has sided with his mother over the split, and even Eamonn’s three older children from his previous marriage remain close to Ruth. 

His relationship with Katie is said to have ‘gone down like a lead balloon’ with his family.

Claims that the pair exchanged flirty messages online when they first met more than a decade ago have aggravated the relationship, along with reports suggesting Ruth found Eamonn had been showering Katie – who is 22 years his junior – with gifts before they broke up in May last year.

However, both Katie and Eamonn insist nothing went on between them until both of their marriages had ended. 

And while to their fans Ruth and Eamonn’s split came as a shock, rumours that all wasn’t well had been swirling for quite some time in showbusiness circles.

Often compared to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, the couple were one of the country’s most-loved, hosting the Friday slot on ITV’s This Morning as well as providing holiday cover for former presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. They also had their own Channel 5 show called Eamonn And Ruth: How The Other Half Lives.

But their marriage began to break down in recent years, with Eamonn’s health and his bitter departure from ITV in 2021 – which he regarded as a ‘sly’ move by executives at the time – thought to be contributing factors. 

Now, Eamonn is waiting for his divorce to come through, as well as money from the £3.6million marital home in Weybridge.

Those who know him suggest that the moment his share of the house is paid will prove ‘significant’ for him and Katie.

‘That will be when Eamonn shows Katie if he is ready to put his money where his mouth is and settle down with her for good, or not,’ a source says. ‘Many people’s money is on the latter.’

Either way, for now the couple are putting on a determined public face. Last night, they were due to attend a London Fashion Week gala at the striking Troxy venue in east London, with Eamonn set to receive a lifetime achievement gong for his charitable work. It was to be presented to him at his table as his mobility issues would prevent him from going on stage.

Sources tell me that despite their problems, there is no doubt that Katie is going to be there. Quite how long she will stay by Eamonn’s side, however, remains to be seen.

As one friend said recently: ‘A few people have long said he’s looking a bit of an old fool over this – now it seems as though he’s starting to feel it.’