Ruth Langsford has congratulated her "darling" husband Eamonn Holmes after he was awarded an OBE.

Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes

Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes

The veteran broadcaster - who was born in Belfast - was recognised by Queen Elizabeth in her New Year Honours list for his services to broadcasting.

'Strictly Come Dancing' star Ruth tweeted: "SO proud of my husband @EamonnHolmes All his years of broadcasting rewarded with an OBE!!! Congratulations darling x (sic)."

And Eamonn, 58, revealed his wife was even happier about the honour than he was.

He said: "Ruth was even more thrilled than I was. I think she just thought it was very well deserved.

"It's recognition of a body of work. There would be very few broadcasters that have the body of work that I have had.

"To be on TV at 19 and host a general election at 23, it's unparalleled and unprecedented without anybody giving you a hand up. I did it on my own merits and worked very hard. The secret is reinvention."

However, he admitted he was already trying to decide who to bring with him to the ceremony.

He said: "No celebrating until you make sure it's going to happen! The big dilemma is who to bring. My daughter is a big royalist, she loves everything to do with the royal family so she's booked her place.

"Ruth would stand aside to allow our 15-year-old son (to go), he would be very proud. We have that dilemma so three tickets would be perfect."

Eamonn moved to the BBC in 1986 but cemented his place on breakfast TV when he moved to ITV in the 1990s, where he worked on GMTV from 1993 until 2005.

He later moved to Sky, where he presented Sky News' Sunrise, which he juggled for 10 years alongside a weekly Friday morning slot on 'This Morning' on ITV with Ruth.

Eamonn quit his role on Sky in 2016.