Heartbroken Eamonn Holmes breaks down in tears as he pays tribute to his late father Leonard 31 years after his sudden death

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His dad, Leonard, died of a heart attack whilst driving at the age of 64. 

And, Eamonn Holmes broke down in tears on Sunday night as he paid tribute to his late father, 31 years after his untimely death, recalling how his mother, Josephine, once urged him to let his dad give him some money in order to feel needed.

The heartbroken This Morning presenter, 61, gave an emotional interview in an episode of The Meaning of Life, which aired on Irish TV.  

Devastating: Eamonn Holmes, 61, broke down in tears on Sunday night as he paid tribute to his late father, 31 years after his untimely death

In the heart wrenching clip, Eamonn said of his tactile and incredibly generous dad: 'He's been gone 31 years now but I still miss him every day.

'I can't recall my late father without thinking of how he always wanted to provide… even when I had a successful career. I think like all of us he just liked to be needed.'

Describing a vivid memories of his dad, while choking back tears Eamonn said: 'All he did was give us a big hug, or whatever...

Missing you: His dad, Leonard, died of a heart attack at the relatively young age of 64

Remembering his father: The heartbroken This Morning presenter gave an emotional interview in an episode of The Meaning of Life, which aired on Irish TV

'All he did was say things like: "Do you need any money?" I was on Ulster Television, earning £12,000 a year. He wasn't earning £12,000 a year or anything near it.

'One day my mum said: "Let him give you some money". I did. I was like "yeah dad" and he'd give me twenty quid.'

Eamonn also admitted the hardest part about losing his dad so suddenly was being unable to say goodbye. 

Ahead of the show airing on RTÉ One, Eamonn tweeted a video clip except and wrote: 'He's been gone 31 years now but I still miss him every day.

'I can't recall my late father without thinking of how he always wanted to provide, even when I had a successful career. I think like all of us he just liked to be needed.'   

Reaching out: Some of Eamonn's celeb pals were quick to show their support

Some of Eamonn's celeb pals were quick to show their support, with Ore Obuda replying: 'Can't imagine the pride on your old man's face today Eamonn.'

India Willoughby shared: 'Oh Eamonn. This made me cry. Your dad sounds amazing,' while James Jordan shared a simple red heart emoji. 

Earlier this year, Eamonn tweeted about his father's passing, saying: 'How my Father died was a particularly horrible experience for my Mother, my younger brother and his friend who were all in the car.' 

Eamonn is one of five brothers - Conor, Brian, Leonard and Colm - whom he previously described as his 'best friends'.     

Earlier this year, Eamonn said of his father's passing: 'How my Father died was a particularly horrible experience for my Mother, my younger brother and his friend who were all in the car' (Pictured: Eamonn with his father Leonard and mother Josephine and two of his brothers)

In October 2018, the TV star opened up about the panic attacks he suffered after the sudden death of his father - when he was terrified that he would suffer the same fate.

Eamonn revealed that he once suffered a panic attack live on air while presenting breakfast television, which he struggled to cover up, and even had to be hospitalised twice. 

He explained: 'I've had a number of panic attacks, thank goodness it was 27 years or so ago.

'Like you I thought I was going to die, my coping strategy was to realise I'm not going to die, but I would never have associated it with a mental problem.' 

Eamonn has realised in retrospect that he may have been suffering them because of his father's untimely death.

He continued: 'I think looking back on it, it was a result of the sudden death of my father and not being able to say goodbye to him. I associated being away from home with bad things.' 

Candid: In October 2018, the TV star opened up about the panic attacks he suffered after the sudden death of his father (Pictured with wife Ruth Langsford in 2020)