Ruth Langsford Said Therapy Was “The Best Thing I Ever Did.” Here’s Why That Matters

British television teaches its presenters a certain kind of poise—the capacity to remain motionless in the midst of a storm, smile warmly at the camera, and reveal nothing. Over the course of thirty years on morning television, Ruth Langsford perfected that ability. She was the comforting constant on the couch, the woman who always seemed to have everything figured out, at least on the outside, and who laughed effortlessly and dressed flawlessly. That’s precisely why her candor at this moment feels so remarkable.

Ruth Langsford is discussing the breakdown of her marriage to Eamonn Holmes and the psychological damage it caused her for the first time. She has described the end of their nearly three decades together, including 14 years of marriage, as a shock that left her grieving, broken, and looking for a firm foundation. This is not Ruth Langsford’s polished ITV persona. In many respects, this is more intriguing and less guarded.

She continued to wear her platinum wedding ring a year after the breakup. When her close friends asked why, she would automatically respond that she was still married. When the topic was brought up again one evening in May of last year, she realized she wasn’t, or at least not in any significant way. She was encouraged by her friends to remove the ring while they were around. Yes, she did. She was sobbing uncontrollably, as she put it. It’s one of those instances that is modest in gesture but profound in significance; it’s the kind of thing that doesn’t make for good headlines but strikes a deep chord with anyone who has ever clung to something that was out of style.

Counseling, according to Langsford, helped her get through what she describes as a difficult time following the breakup. At first, she opposed therapy, believing that all she needed was someone to admit that she was depressed. She found the work genuinely helpful after a friend encouraged her to see a therapist; she called it the best thing she had ever done and is still doing it today. There’s something noteworthy there. Hearing someone with Ruth Langsford’s profile claim that therapy saved her carries some weight for a generation of British women brought up to live in silence. This admission is not insignificant.

Feeling Fabulous is a fitting title for her new book, which explores her life from early childhood (her father was stationed in Tripoli when she was young) to the dissolution of her marriage and the day her son Jack left for college. Almost immediately, it reached number two on the Sunday Times bestseller list, and Ruth has made it clear that, contrary to popular belief, it is not a divorce tell-all. She doesn’t go into detail about the divorce itself; she told a radio interviewer, instead focusing on what it’s like to be unmarried at 65 when you never thought that would happen. She cares about that distinction. It reads more like a woman who genuinely refuses to let someone else’s actions define her next chapter, though she may be just defending herself legally.

The book also discusses issues Ruth has been dealing with for years, most of which are hidden from the public. At its core are two defining wounds: her older sister Julia’s suicide and the dissolution of her marriage. She has discussed both with a measured candor that falls short of performance. It doesn’t seem practiced. Observing her recent interviews gives the impression that she is still working through some of this in real time; the book served as both a resource for readers and a reckoning for her.

She has also discussed the potential for a new relationship with caution, which makes sense. She returned to cooking, traveling, and gardening during the most difficult months. “What’s going to become of me?” was one of the catastrophizing thoughts that gradually subsided. She has succinctly explained the change: she used to see darkness, but now she no longer feels fear. That’s a big deal, especially for someone whose private life fell apart in front of everyone, with column inches detailing every detail she had decided not to disclose.

Ruth has continued to be one of the most dependable figures on British daytime television, away from the personal. She is the longest-serving presenter on This Morning, a fact that is often overlooked in favor of divorce coverage but speaks volumes about her tenacity. Not everyone is able to endure studio lighting for very long. She still regularly presents Loose Women and keeps up her fashion line with QVC UK, which has developed a quiet but devoted fan base of its own. To be honest, her professional output is impressive for someone who is purportedly going through a personal crisis.

Additionally, she continues to work for the Alzheimer’s Society, which merits greater recognition than it typically gets. Having personally cared for her late father Dennis and mother Joan during their dementia diagnoses, Ruth has served as an ambassador for the organization for 17 years. She has talked about how the Alzheimer’s Society branch in Plymouth connected her mother to dementia cafés, which are small, unglamorous community places where caregivers can sit with people who just understand what a typical day is like. Unlike celebrity ambassadorships, Ruth’s dedication to that cause feels intimate. Long after the cameras have moved on, she continues to attend Memory Walks and discuss it.

It’s difficult to ignore the fact that Ruth Langsford, at sixty-six, appears to be, in some respects, a more complete version of herself than the public saw on a studio sofa for thirty years. She has stated that she was initially broken, with broken dreams and a broken heart, and that she never thought she would end up here. And yet here she is: a Sunday Times bestseller, an advocate for Alzheimer’s, a frequent participant in Loose Women, an Instagram user with Easter sideboards, and daffodils that speak for themselves. It’s still unclear what will happen next—a new book, a new relationship, or just more of this restored independence. Observing this specific chapter, however, gives me the impression that Ruth Langsford may be right where she should be.