Ruth Langsford chokes back tears as she opens up about beloved sister Julia’s tragic suicide and explains the impact the devastating loss has had on her life: ‘I miss her so much’

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Oh, it just broke my heart watching Ruth Langsford talk about her sister, Julia. She was so vulnerable, openly weeping as she described the awful tragedy of Julia’s suicide and how completely shattered she is. It’s just… devastating to hear her share what she’s going through, and to get a glimpse of the immense grief she’s carrying. I feel so awful for her.

The 66-year-old Loose Women panelist says she still deeply misses her sister. After years of searching for answers, she’s sadly accepted that she’ll never understand why her sister died by suicide.

In June 2019, Ruth’s sister, Julia Johnson, passed away at her home in Lingfield, Surrey. She was 62 years old and had been living with depression for many years. Her husband, Paul, discovered her.

In a recent interview on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, the TV personality discussed the tragedy of suicide, emphasizing the lasting pain and unanswered questions for those left behind. They repeatedly expressed the overwhelming feeling of simply asking, ‘Why?’

Over time, I’ve come to terms with never understanding why she left, and knowing that nothing can change what happened.

She continued, explaining that the only way she could cope with the pain was to accept that her loved one didn’t want to live, and that nothing she could have done would have altered that outcome.

It just keeps replaying in my head – if only we’d known, if only we could have done something. I keep asking myself how we all missed the signs, how could we have been so blind? I wish she’d felt comfortable enough to come to us, to talk things through. But now… now there are just questions, and a heartbreaking silence. She’s not here to explain, and we’ll never truly understand why.

Losing someone is incredibly tough, and I definitely went through a period of deep sadness after my loss. There was a lot of crying and I needed to take some time away from work to process everything. But ultimately, I realized my loved one wouldn’t want me to be stuck in grief. Remembering that helped me start to rebuild and focus on living a full life again, and honestly, throwing myself into work was a part of that healing process.

I realized my sister wouldn’t want me to give up, so I needed to try again. Honestly, work has always been what gets me through tough times.

Ruth has spoken about 2019 being a very difficult year for her, following the loss of her daughter Julia. She previously expressed gratitude for the support of her then-husband, Eamonn Holmes. The couple later separated in 2024 after being married for 14 years.

Ruth recently shared that she nearly gave up her job as a TV presenter after being deeply saddened by the loss of her sister.

In a 2020 interview with Best Magazine, she confessed that it felt dishonest to appear happy on television while she was deeply saddened personally.

After she confessed she didn’t want to be in the public eye and felt unmotivated, Eamonn encouraged her to return to work as a tribute to Julia.

Following a difficult month filled with intense emotional distress, Ruth shared that Eamonn reminded her she had a bright future and plenty of reasons to be hopeful.

In a 2023 interview on Kaye Adams’ podcast, ‘How to be 60’, she described the year her sister died as the most difficult of her life. She’s even blocked the year from her memory. To cope, she developed a routine: she would allow herself to cry intensely in the shower, then force herself to get ready and go to work, creating a necessary distraction.

I really needed that – I could easily spend the whole day dwelling on my sister and feeling down. It gave me the focus and routine I was missing.

Oh my gosh, Ruth was SO real talking to Kaye on Loose Women! She really got into how important it is to feel your grief, not just try to stuff it away and pretend it didn’t happen. She said it’s like, you can’t just ‘box up’ the pain of losing someone you love, you have to actually deal with it. It was honestly so moving to hear her talk so openly!

In June 2019, Ruth shared a photo with her sister Julia and announced Julia’s passing on Instagram. She wrote that Julia had died after a long illness and that she was heartbroken.

She was a truly kind and gentle person, and I will miss her deeply. I need to spend time with my family to grieve, and I appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.

If you’re struggling with any of the topics mentioned here, you can get free support by calling the Samaritans at 116123 or visiting their website: www.samaritans.org.

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2026-03-24 04:31