Eamonn Holmes once told Anne Robinson he would've "knocked her head off" if she was a man - after she criticised his parenting.
Eamonn Holmes
The acid-tongued TV presenter, 76, previously riled Eammon after claiming he had "sacrificed fatherhood for fame" - and he was not afraid to confront her over it when they met in an airport.
He said: "This is the man who went into an airport lounge one Sunday morning, very, very early in Belfast, and there was one other person in that lounge and it was Anne Robinson.
"I walked over to her and I simply said, very coldly and heartfelt meant, 'If you were a bloke, I would knock your f**king head off. I just want you to know that.' "
The 61-year-old broadcaster - who co-presents 'This Morning' with his wife, 'Loose Women' star Ruth Langsford, 60 - slammed Anne's comments and protested that he is always there for his children.
He told RTE One’s 'The Meaning of Life': "This is coming from a man who would fly back from London for his kids’ school sports days, who would take the last flight out of Belfast at 10 o’clock at night when he’d tucked them up in bed at 8pm, you know, who just was there for them all the time at every need for them."
Eamonn admitted the 'Countdown' presenter insisted he take a seat next to her on the flight and apologised for her comments.
He said: "Subsequently, Anne Robinson then asked me to sit beside her on the plane and I thought twice about it and I sat down beside her, and we had a very enlightening conversation, a very sensible conversation, and she apologised.
"What can you do when someone apologises? You are left with a choice whether you forgive or don’t forgive, and I decided to forgive her?
"I’m a good father. No matter how old my children are – they’re 32, 30, 28 and 18 – I check in with them. I do my best."
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