Eamonn Holmes shares photo of painful swollen face as he opens up about battle with shingles
EAMONN Holmes has shared a photo of his painful-looking blisters after a battle with shingles three years ago.
The TV veteran, 62, said at the time that he was left looking like something out of a "Hammer horror film" - explaining he jumped back in shock when he saw his reflection.
Shingles is a rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox - which lies dormant in the nervous systems of 90 per cent of adults - before being reactivated.
Alongside the photo, he wrote: "Having had shingles, I know how painful and exhausting it can be.
"That's why I am supporting #ShinglesAwarenessWeek with @GSK and @IntFedAgeing."
He also admitted that he can't bring himself to look at his son Declan's wedding photos and felt that he had "spoilt" the special day.
"My eldest son was getting married and he was the first of my children to get married and so far the only one of my children to be married," the TV star said on Steph's Packed Lunch.
“My face was absolutely awful and I had to be in all of the pictures, I’m the father of the groom.
“I got a makeup artist to try and cover it up but to no avail, it wasn’t good.
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“To this day Steph I can’t look at Declan and Jenny’s wedding pictures.”
“I feel I’ve spoilt them but I had to be there,” he added.
In 2018, Eamonn had to pull out of hosting This Morning because of the condition.
Eamonn revealed the worst of the swelling was across his face and underneath his right eye.
He posted the picture on Instagram and told his followers: "I know I look as though I've been in a scrap but honestly I haven't.
“It's worse than that - it's Shingles.”
He explained that he was horrified by his appearance when he first caught sight of it in the mirror.
He told the : “It was like some hideous movie, where you feel your face and you go, ‘What’s that?’
"I remember going to the bathroom mirror and jumping back in horror. I had no idea what the symptoms were or why you would even be vulnerable to it.
"I had no idea whether I had ever had chickenpox at all, so I had to go and ask my mother.”
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