On the face of it, it was the perfect romantic gesture from a loved-up man to his new girlfriend.

A luxurious trip around Europe aboard an all-singing, all-dancing cruise ship with stop-offs in stunning seaside destinations with highly desirable restaurants.

Yet I can reveal that Eamonn Holmes’s sunshine holiday with his new, much younger girlfriend Katie Alexander was in fact a ‘freebie’ which he was given after signing a lucrative deal to be ambassador for the giant holiday company Not Just Travel.

Eamonn Holmes was seen touching Katie Alexander’s bottom after getting off the cruise ship in Ibiza.

The 64-year-old presenter’s holiday with his 42-year-old girlfriend was in fact a ‘freebie’

In return for the perk, the television anchor was obliged to film content for the firm’s social media platforms while enjoying the break courtesy of its cruise arm, Virgin Voyages, on a ship called The Scarlet Lady.

‘While it looked like Eamonn had whisked Katie off on a no-expense-spared trip away, it didn’t actually cost him a penny,’ explains a travel insider.

‘It was part of his deal with Not Just Travel so, if anything, he was actually paid to go – which was very fortuitous indeed, especially because he could take a plus one with him.

‘Katie didn’t seem to mind though, it was a lovely, sunny break for her as they enjoy their first throes of love.’