Coronavirus: Rachel Riley criticises Eamonn Holmes over ‘dangerous’ 5G comments

Holmes came under fire for sharing an unsubstantiated theory linking coronavirus to 5G

Rachel Riley has called out Eamonn Holmes for sharing an unsubstantiated coronavirus conspiracy theory.

Holmes came under fire last month for suggesting that people should not dismiss a baseless theory linking coronavirus to the rollout of 5G as false because “they don’t know it’s not true”.

Speaking about the spread of fake news, Countdown presenter Riley told the Radio Times that it hadn’t been the first time she’d fallen out with Holmes for amplifying conspiracy theories.

“There are a lot of people trying to make money by spreading lies about coronavirus, whether it’s quack remedies or stupid conspiracy theories about 5G,” Riley said. “It’s dangerous, especially when these things get repeated on shows that you’re expected to trust.”

She continued: “I’ve fallen out with Eamonn Holmes before when he had David Icke on his radio show, but you don’t expect to see ridiculous theories about 5G being repeated on This Morning.”

Holmes refused to apologise for his comments on This Morning, but did say that his words had been “misinterpreted” and that there was "no scientific evidence to substantiate any 5G theories".

He found himself being the butt of a joke on last week’s Have I Got News For You, with David Tennant suggesting that the Irish presenter lived in a “tin foil bungalow”.