‘I’m weak, but I’m still here’: A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin gives fans a heartbreaking update on terminal cancer diagnosis
A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin has given a heartbreaking update amid his tragic battle with cancer.
The 49-year-old presenter was given just six months to live when he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, which has spread to his brain, in August 2020, and publicly shared his prognosis in December.
During an interview with SunJonnie said outright: ‘I’m weak now, frail and my memory is terrible… but I’m still here.’
Jonnie, who celebrated his 50th birthday earlier this week, later explained: ‘I tried to play football with Rex the other day and he was in goal and couldn’t get close to the ball. It was so frustrating.
“I am very athletic and suddenly it is like… it was as if it was the first time I tried soccer. I felt like a grandfather. And that broke me a bit.
‘I’m weak’: A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin has given a heartbreaking update amid his tragic battle with cancer
Family: Jonnie lives with his wife Jessica, 40, and their three children: son Rex, three, and twins Rafa and Cormac, two, in Hertfordshire.
Jonnie lives with his wife Jessica, 40, and their three children: son Rex, three, and twins Rafa and Cormac, two, in Hertfordshire.
During the interview, Jess recalled the moment Jonnie came home and told her of his terminal diagnosis: “He couldn’t stop apologizing.” He kept saying ‘I’m sorry’ over and over and I kept telling him it wasn’t her fault.
She added: “I think I’m still in denial about a lot of it if I’m being honest.”
The father of three was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 and given months to live.
The TV presenter initially decided to keep his illness private, but then it went public a year later.
Jonnie recently opened up about his condition, saying he’s trying to make as many memories as possible with his wife Jessica and their three children: Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
It comes after Jonnie said he plans to record video messages so he can talk to his loving wife and three children after her death.
Jonnie hosted a segment on digital legacy on Morning Live earlier this month and left hosts Rav Wilding and Kimberley Walsh with “goosebumps.”
The Escape To The Country host said he is “taking advantage of every opportunity” to give his wife Jessica and their three children a bright future when he is no longer here.
After watching a segment about how a woman battling stage 4 bowel cancer records a short video each day for loved ones to watch when she’s gone, Jonnie said he plans to do the same.
‘It’s amazing to think that I would also be able to talk to my wife and children after I pass away. My diagnosis has taken a lot from me, but it has given me the ability to prepare.’
Horrible: He was given just six months to live when he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, which has spread to his brain, in August 2020 (pictured with co-host Jasmine Harman)
Reflecting on his own actions thus far, Jonnie said: “I have a lifetime of memories and over the years many have been stored online and as I’ve been getting my affairs in order since my diagnosis two and a half years ago. I haven’t given much thought to my digital legacy.
“I have posted thousands of photos and digital images online, but when I die I have no idea what will happen to those images.”
The host Rav said in the studio: ‘I have goosebumps. Such a powerful movie from Jonnie. I think that film is a real reminder of all the practical things you can do.’
Kimberley: ‘It’s heartbreaking. I believe that creating special memories with your loved one can be as simple as sitting down for a Sunday roast.
From Lutterworth to Lanzarote: How former estate agent Jonnie Irwin’s TV career took off after he beat hundreds to host A Place in the Sun
TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has revealed that he is suffering from terminal cancer and says he hopes sharing his terminal cancer diagnosis will inspire others to “make the most of every day”.
Born in 1973, Jonnie Irwin grew up in Bitteswell, Leicestershire, and attended Lutterworth Grammar School and Community College before becoming an estate agent.
In 2004, Irwin was selected from hundreds of applicants along with co-host Jasmine Harman to present the Channel 4 show A Place In The Sun – Home Or Away. The real estate program was a surprise success and was widely distributed. Irwin also regularly presents Escape To The Country and the BBC’s To Buy Or Not To Buy.
In January 2011, Sky 1 broadcast Irwin’s show called Dream Lives for Sale, in which he helped people leave their lives in the UK to buy their dream business.
Later that year, a new series The Renovation Game began which aired weekday mornings on Channel 4.
In addition to filing, he is also the commercial director of Judicare, which describes itself as a “specialist law firm providing clients with legal advice on all matters relating to foreign property.”
Irwin married Jessica Holmes in September 2016. Together they have three children and lived in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire before moving to Newcastle.
On November 13, Irwin was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She told Hello magazine: “I don’t know how much time I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.”
