Ruth Langsford's family tradition as she celebrates first Christmas without Eamonn Holmes

Loose Women star Ruth Langsford took to her Instagram Stories to share a little family tradition with fans ahead of her Christmas Day celebrations

Ruth Langford revealed a little trick her family have been doing for years as she prepared for her first Christmas without estranged husband Eamonn Holmes.

The Loose Women panellist, 64, announced her split from talk show host Eamonn earlier this year after many years of marriage. Although they haven't outright publicly spoken to each other, they shared their support in subtle ways on Instagram posts. When Ruth's mum landed in the hospital, Eamonn reached out by liking one of her posts.

Ahead of Christmas day, Ruth shared a glimpse of her family tradition as she took to her Instagram page to share a clip of the table she set up before the big day - complete with red table cloth and Christmas Crackers. She captioned the post: "Another family tradition….laying the Christmas Day lunch table on Christmas eve….saves SO much time in the morning! Gone for a red & gold theme this year."

She made sure to give fans a tour of the table as she zoomed in on the red and gold detailing. Fans rushed to the comment section to wish her a happy holidays, with some asking who will be attending Christmas dinner. One asked: "Ooo I counted 8 place settings. Can’t help be curious who’s invited to your Christmas meal. Have a lovely day."

Another wished: "Looks so pretty. I hope you have a lovely day, you deserve it. Merry Christmas to you, Mum and Maggie." A few hours later, she returned to her page to share a video of her in her pyjamas with a roller in her hair as she discussed being last-minute with her Christmas organisation.

Thankfully, she had a glass of Prosecco on hand to enjoy as she rushed to get things done. Since their separation, Eamonn has moved on with new girlfriend Katie Alexander, while Ruth has been relying on the support of friends, including Rylan Clark. In October, an insider told OK! that Ruth is "dreading" the holiday season and knows the first will be the "hardest", and she "just wants to get through it."

However, it's not just her break up that could be troubling Ruth, as she previously revealed to Woman and Home Magazine about another family change involving her 22-year-old son Jack.

Ruth wrote: "I see Christmas changing every year. Although Jack’s not yet been at his girlfriend’s for Christmas, I’m sure the time will come. Then I’ll have to take a big gulp and go, ‘That’s lovely, darling. Of course, it’s absolutely no problem.’ But, of course, I’ll be dying inside."

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