EAMONN Holmes has revealed he was scammed out of thousands of pounds after his identity card was stolen.
The GB News presenter, who recently returned to screens after a long hiatus due to an ongoing battle with chronic pain, said he had been targeted by a fraudster.
Eamonn returned to work at GB News today[/caption]
Eamonn, 63, who returned this week to present his news program alongside Isabel Webster, said he had to deal with the stressful ordeal.
The former ITV star – who recently had four months off work following major surgery – has admitted he was cheated out of thousands of pounds.
Eamonn said an impostor stole his identity and was living in a luxury hotel under his name.
He told viewers on Monday morning: “There may only be one Eamonn Holmes but one guy was able to go and live in a hotel using my name for a good two weeks in the best hotel in Belfast.
“No one thought to say, ‘you’re not as handsome as Eamonn Holmes, you can’t be Eamonn Holmes’.
“He went and he lived in a hotel in central Belfast for two weeks.”
Eamonn later explained that he “stole a lot of money” from his bank account in the process.
“He bought building materials, slabs, concrete, marble fireplaces, all kinds,” Eamonn told his shocked co-host.
“At the end of that, the judge said it was a victimless crime, so he wasn’t fired. The judge basically thought I needed to meet this guy and make up with him, whatever it was.
“I basically told him where to stick it. This is not a victimless crime.
Eamonn explained that the horrific identity theft left him struggling to trust after he “suspected the people around him” and left him “stressed out”.
“I was very lucky that the bank refunded me but the idea that it’s victimless is wrong,” he said.
It comes after Eamonn was seen heading into the studio this morning on crutches as he made his return to television.
The much-loved presenter recently fell down the stairs and broke his shoulder after undergoing back surgery.
Eamonn was spotted in high spirits as he linked his arms to fellow host Isabel, dressed in a smart suit.
The presenting duo were seen entering together on their first day back at GB News Breakfast on Monday morning.
Eamonn delighted fans yesterday when he announced he would be returning to his GB News’ Breakfast show.
He revealed, “I’m back tomorrow, which sounds like a threat, doesn’t it!
“You may or may not know what happened to me. I had back surgery because I had disc problems for about a year and a half and the surgery affected one of my legs causing me to fall down the stairs and break my shoulder .
“So I had a non-functioning leg, and a non-functioning shoulder – and a lot of other things in between.”
The brave star added: “So here I am. I feel like there are only a limited number of box sets that I can watch or recommend to you!
“I’m not better, but I’m better than I was. And I decided to try to go back to work on GB News from tomorrow. It’s on the basis that the work will hopefully help heal me.
