Jonnie Irwin has enlisted the help of a digital estate company to keep track of his documents, bills, memories and wishes for his family when he passes away.
The 49-year-old host of A Place In The Sun first hinted a few days ago that he was working with the company to preserve his precious memories and documents.
Jonnie, who was diagnosed in 2020 with terminal lung cancer that has since spread to his brain, posted a photo of his son playing soccer on Instagram on Tuesday.
He said it would go in @biscuittinco in the post’s caption, writing, “Change of sports – quick penalty play before bed. Rex’s effort goes into the @biscuittinco!’
On Thursday, Jonnie was photographed with company founder Sheila Hogan, who has confirmed they are working together to save his digital footprint.
Memories: Cancer-stricken Jonnie Irwin has sought the help of a digital legacy company (pictured with founder Sheila Hogan) to keep track of his documents, bills, memories and wishes when he passes away
Sheila and Jonnie met at the Flower Café in Newcastle to talk about their project with cancer patient Paul Fowler.
Biscuit Tin was turned down for an investment in the Dragon’s Den, but has since gotten what Sheila asked for six times on the show.
Their website urges, “Leave your loved ones with the tools they need to manage your end-of-life affairs, by safeguarding your important documents, bills, and memories.”
It comes after Jonnie also first spoke of his intentions to chat with the company back in February when he appeared on the BBC to talk about digital legacies.
He hosted the segment on digital legacy on Morning Live, giving presenters Rav Wilding and Kimberley Walsh “goosebumps.”
Reflecting on his own actions to date, Jonnie said, “I have a lifetime of memories and while many have been stored online over the years and while I’ve got my act together since my diagnosis two and a half years ago, I didn’t think much about my digital legacy.
“I’ve put thousands of photos and digital images online, but when I pass them on, I have no idea what will happen to those images.”
Back in the studio, host Rav said, ‘I’ve got goosebumps. What a powerful film from Jonnie. I think that movie is a real reminder of all the practical things you can do.”
Kimberley: ‘It’s heartbreaking. I think creating special memories with your loved one can be as easy as sitting down for a Sunday roast.”
Preserving memories: The Place In The Sun presenter, 49, had first hinted a few days ago that he was working with the company to preserve his treasured memories and documents
Jonnie wrote at the time, “Doed some filming myself for @bbcmorninglive for tomorrow’s 9am episode on digital legacies, including an ingenious start-up called @biscuittinco. Check it out – it’s a great idea.’
It comes after Jonnie joked earlier this month that he looked “good” as he gave his fans an update amid his battle with cancer.
He was given just six months to live when he was diagnosed in August 2020 with stage four lung cancer, which has spread to his brain.
But in a lighthearted Instagram post, Jonnie joked that he’d taken a ‘walk of shame’ while running to catch the train to Newcastle.
He joked about his appearance, saying he looked like a “crazy and panicked chemo boy” as he hurried to catch the departing train.
Alongside a selfie from his seat, he wrote: “It must have looked alright – crazed and panicked chemo boy dragging a wheeled suitcase with a strange clear shoulder bag slung over his arm and a hot crossover bun hanging on the side of his mouth hangs trying to run for the departing train.
Fortunately, the friendly guard held the door at the far end. My penalty was that I sat on the other side and therefore had to walk past all the passengers who had seen this spectacle.’
He added the hashtags: “#walkofshame #relief.”
Funny: It comes after Jonnie joked earlier this month that he looked ‘good’ as he gave his fans an update amid his battle with cancer
Last month, Jonnie gave a heartbreaking update amid his tragic battle with cancer.
The presenter publicly shared his prognosis in December after being diagnosed last August.
During an interview with The sunJonnie said, “I’m weak now, fragile, and my memory is terrible…but I’m still here.”
Jonnie then explained: ‘I was trying to play football with Rex the other day and was in goal and I couldn’t get to the ball. It was so frustrating.
‘I’m very sporty and suddenly it’s like… it was like it was the first time I played football. I felt like a grandpa. And that broke me a bit.’
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 about his terminal diagnosis: “He couldn’t stop apologizing. He kept saying ‘sorry’ over and over and I kept saying it wasn’t his fault.’
She added, “I think I’m still in denial about a lot of it if I’m being honest.”
Joker: Jonnie kept his spirits up and took to Instagram on Monday to joke that he had taken a ‘walk of shame’ while running to catch the train to Newcastle
Jonnie also recently spoke about his condition, saying he tries to reminisce as much as possible with his wife Jessica and their three sons.
He said he plans to record video messages so that he can still talk to his beloved wife and three children after his death.
The Escape To The Country host said he will “take every opportunity” to give his wife Jessica and their three children a bright future after he is gone.
After watching a clip about how a woman battling stage 4 colon cancer records a short clip every day for her loved ones to watch while she’s gone, Jonnie said he plans to do the same.
‘It’s great to think that after my death I can also talk to my wife and children. My diagnosis has demanded a lot from me, but it has given me the opportunity to prepare.’
From Lutterworth to Lanzarote: How former estate agent Jonnie Irwin’s TV career took off after beating hundreds to present A Place in the Sun
TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has revealed he suffers 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 a real estate agent.
In 2004 Irwin along with co-presenter Jasmine Harman were selected from hundreds of applicants to present Channel 4’s show A Place In The Sun – Home Or Away. The real estate program was a surprise hit and was widely syndicated. Irwin also regularly presents BBC’s Escape To The Country and To Buy Or Not To Buy.
In January 2011, Sky 1 broadcast Irwin’s own 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 he started a new series The Renovation Game which aired weekday mornings on Channel 4.
In addition to presenting, he is also a commercial director for Judicare, which describes itself as a ‘specialty law firm providing legal advice to clients on all matters related to foreign real estate’.
Irwin married Jessica Holmes in September 2016. Together they have three sons and lived in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire before moving to Newcastle.
On November 13, Irwin was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He told Hello magazine, “I don’t know how long I have left, but I’m trying to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.”
