Eamonn Holmes says he was 'forced' to sell his home after tax battle

Eamonn Holmes has revealed he had to sell his beloved house in east Belfast to pay off a huge bill after a £250,000 tax battle with HMRC. 

The TV presenter, 64, admitted he feels 'bitter' about having to sell his house after losing two appeals against HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which set him back 'hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees'. 

Speaking in an interview with his former UTV colleague Gerry Kelly, due to be screened next month, Eamonn claimed tax officials ruled he was a staff member with broadcasters rather than freelance.

They allegedly asked for 10 years of retrospective tax and national insurance payments from him.

He claims he never received holiday or sick pay, though he said he wasn't looking for sympathy.  'It's like they have taken away everything I ever worked for,' he tells the show on NVTV. 

It comes after Lorraine Kelly escaped a £1.2 million tax bill after a judge described her as an 'entertaining lady' who is her own boss.

Lorraine locked horns with the tax authorities over claims that the company through which she provides her services to broadcasters is just a front.

In 2016 HM Revenue and Customs presented her with an income tax bill for almost £900,000, plus national insurance contributions of over £300,000.

But in 2019 she scored a victory after a tax judge described her as an 'honest, intelligent' woman who is a super-talented freelancer. 

Read more: Lorraine Kelly wins £1.2million fight with the taxman as judge agrees she is 'an entertaining lady' who is her own boss as court hears she even turned down an interview with Elton John

She had created her own 'persona' and 'brand' and that is what broadcasters wanted when they took her on, said Judge Jennifer Dean. 

In response Eamonn's tax battle, a HMRC spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We take the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously and do everything we can for those who engage with us to get their tax affairs in order, including by offering affordable payment plans.' 

Eamonn also spoke about his health in his interview, revealing his fears he may be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life following back surgery. 

He said that because of an operation that 'went wrong' in the past year he has had to rely on his wife Ruth Langsford to dress him for his breakfast shows with GB News.

'I have tried every treatment, but you go, 'Maybe I'll never get out of it,' which is a harsh reality to face,' he said. 

The TV presenter said in a chat back in September that he 'can't walk' as he gave a health update.  

In a chat with guest Tim Franklin, Eamonn revealed how he was struggling to cope after undergoing spinal surgery the previous September, following which he suffered a horrific fall.

Eamonn Holmes's tax battle - and when is a person classified as in employment or self-employed? 

Eamonn Holmes was hit with a £250,000 sum in 2020 after losing a case against the taxman over how he was paid.

The host of ITV's This Morning at the time claimed he was a freelancer, and received payments via his company.

But Eamonn reveals tax officials ruled he was a staff member.

He lost two appeals against HMRC which set him back 'hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees'.

Tax officials allegedly asked for 10 years of retrospective tax and national insurance payments from him even though he claims he never received holiday or sick pay.

The presenter said he’s had to sell his Belfast house to pay his huge bills.

A person is typically classed as employed if...

• They have an agreement to provide personal work or services
• They turn up to work even if they do not want to
• There is work for that person as long as the contract or agreement lasts

A person is typically classed as self-employed if...

• They are responsible for the success or failure of their business in regards to profit and loss
• They get to chose the hours they work, when they work and how they work
• If that person can hire or fire workers
• That person is free to work for other companies or take on other workers

As Tim detailed his own health issues and back problems, Eamonn admitted he 'hadn't recovered' from his, confessing: 'I can't run, I can't walk, I can't do anything except watch TV and eat,.' 

He explained: 'I just got problems last year in my back, which I haven't recovered from. 

'It's not good, it's not a good recipe I have to say.' 

A couple of weeks later, speaking to best Magazine, Eamonn said: 'Well, I can walk if that's what you mean (50 steps, to be exact) but I now accept life is easier with help from others. 

'Getting around with crutches is exhausting. I wish I could walk further but, for now, I can't.'

In spring 2021, the star first started experiencing severe back pain, which came out of nowhere, and left him reliant on a walking stick. 

He eventually discovered it was three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg. 

In an interview with The Daily Mail, Eamonn told how a scan first revealed the three protruding discs, explaining: 'I still thought it would go away, but it didn't. The knock-on effect was that I lost a lot of use in my right leg.

'I got epidural injections, which helped to a degree, but didn't cure the problem. I started using a stick, so life was already becoming more curtailed.'

'The spine and all the nerves that lead off it affect so many other things, which he felt needed to be addressed first. I was crushed. I had been in severe pain for a year, and I desperately hoped this might be the answer.'

Instead, he spent nine days being monitored in hospital before returning to England - to a full work schedule, culminating in live coverage of the death of the Queen in September. 

After contacting a specialist surgeon, Eamonn went under the knife in late September. 

'It went well — the doctor tidied things up, and generally the pain has gone, which is brilliant,' he said.

However, the spinal surgery left him with a weakened left leg, too, and just over two weeks into his recovery from the operation, Eamonn fell backwards down 18 stairs at the Weybridge home, hitting the stone floor at the bottom. 

The horrific accident could easily have killed him. Instead, he emerged with a broken shoulder, and his legs further weakened.