Friends and co-presenters of TV holiday estate agent Jonnie Irwin have flocked to support him after he announced he is battling terminal cancer.
Yesterday, the father-of-three said he hoped sharing his terminal diagnosis would inspire others to ‘make the most of every day’.
The 48-year-old, who presents Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun and the BBC’s Escape To The Country, dropped the bombshell news that his lung cancer had spread to his brain in an interview with Hello magazine.
‘I don’t know how long I have left,’ the presenter said.
Leicestershire-born Irwin appeared on A Place In the Sun from 2004 until last year and was its longest serving presenter, alongside co-star Jasmine Harman, who is still with the show.
The Channel 4 series has lasted for 462 episodes since first airing on British screens in September 2000 and still rakes in some 472,000 viewers a week, according to recent figures.
After Irwin shared his diagnosis on Instagram, Harman wrote: ‘Words can’t fix much, but what lovely words of support you have had here Jonnie. I know you know this already, but I am here for you my dear friend, and Jess and the boys. So, so brave. Sending lots of love. Speak soon.’
TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has revealed he is suffering with terminal cancer, saying he hopes sharing his terminal cancer diagnosis will inspire others to ‘make the most of every day’
Tragic news: The 48-year-old, who presents Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun and the BBC’s Escape To The Country, revealed his lung cancer had spread to his brain
Private battle: Jonnie, who shares three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica, said he had chosen to keep his illness private until now
‘I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it,’ Irwin (pictured with wife Jessica) bravely explained
A Place In The Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin shared his sad news on Instagram, revealing the full story is in Hello magazine
A Place In The Sun co-presenter Jasmine Harman wrote: ‘Words can’t fix much, but what lovely words of support you have had here Jonnie. I know you know this already, but I am here for you my dear friend, and Jess and the boys. So, so brave. Sending lots of love. Speak soon’
Former Homes Under The Hammer host Lucy Alexander wrote: ‘Jonnie. I get so much joy watching you & your boys on here. You’re one hellava flippin amazeballs presenter and I’m sending so soooo much love & strength.’
Escape To The Country’s Nicki Chapman wrote: ‘Love you guys so much’
Jonnie revealed the first warning sign of his illness came while he was filming A Place In The Sun in August 2020 in Italy, when his vision became blurry while driving.
‘Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live,’ he said.
‘I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating.
‘All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.’
Jonnie, who shares three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica, said he had chosen to keep his illness private until now.
He said: ‘It’s got to the point now where it feels like I’m carrying a dirty secret, it’s become a monkey on my back.
‘I hope that by shaking that monkey off I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying.
‘One day, this is going to catch up with me, but I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible.
‘I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family.’
Jonnie’s social media was inundated with well wishes and messages of support in the wake of the news.
After news of Jonnie’s condition broke on Instagram, friends and colleagues rushed to offer their support.
Ex-Homes Under The Hammer presenter Lucy Alexander added: ‘Jonnie. I get so much joy watching you & your boys on here. You’re one hellava flippin amazeballs presenter and I’m sending so soooo much love & strength.’
Escape To The Country’s Nicki Chapman wrote: ‘Love you guys so much,’ while another user posted: ‘Jonnie I am so so sorry to hear your news… Life is so cruel, to the nicest of people. I send you all our love to you and your family.’
Others chipped in: ‘Sending you and your beautiful family so much love and strength.
‘Thank you for sharing your news, I’m sure that many people who are in a similar situation will draw strength and inspiration from you.’
Jonnie has continued to work as much as possible, while undergoing bouts of chemotherapy and other treatments.
He was initially set on keeping his diagnosis between a very select group of people, but now has decided to share his experiences and explain the ordeal for others to learn from.
He said: ‘I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.
‘I set little markers, things I want to be around for. I got into the habit of saying, ”Don’t plan ahead because I might not be well enough”.
‘But now I want to make plans. I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart.’
The 48-year-old (pictured with Jasmine Harman in 2004), presents Channel 4 ‘s A Place In The Sun and the BBC ‘s Escape To The Country
Irwin, pictured here in 2010 at the TV Choice Awards, said he got the first warning signs about his disease in 2020
‘One day, this is going to catch up with me, but I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible,’ Irwin said
Jonnie Irwin (pictured with his eldest son Rex) told Hello Magazine this month: ‘I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it. I set little markers – things I want to be around for’
‘I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible,’ said the father-of-three. ‘I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family’
Viewers said they were ‘devastated’ and ‘heartbroken to learn of Irwin’s diagnosis, describing him as a ‘very natural, likeable fella’ and a ‘lovely man with a beautiful family’
Debbie Johnston credited Irwin with helping her find a place to live out her retirement, praising him as the ‘top of your game and so very engaging’
‘This is heartbreaking. I’ve watched Jonnie on A Place In the Sun as long as I can remember,’ tweeted Laura
The TV presenter is also encouraging people to take out life insurance.
He added: ‘That has helped so much and when I leave this planet, I’ll do so knowing Jess and the boys are in a house that is fully paid off and there’s a bit of money in the bank for them to live off.’
Jonnie’s heartbreaking story is reminiscent of presenter Dame Deborah James’ battle with bowel cancer, which the mother-of-two sadly lost on June 28 this year.
The journalist, 40, was diagnosed with incurable cancer in 2016, going on to host You, Me and the Big C podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live about her struggles with her illness.
Back in May, Dame Deborah was given just days to live. But she fought her way through another two full months, defying the odds to spend her final weeks with her children and husband out of hospital.
She had an incredibly peaceful death, her husband Sebastien said.
‘People who didn’t know Debs saw her getting weaker and weaker in those final weeks,’ he said. ‘But mentally it was the opposite.
‘Through battling the fires of adversity she got stronger and in my eyes, it made her more and more radiant with every passing day. I’ve never loved her more.
‘She knew what was happening to her, yet she was able to still find those magical moments.’
He said he was in awe of what his wife had achieved while dealing with such emotional anguish.
Dame Deborah James’ husband Sebastien told his terminally ill wife he would ‘look after the kids’ as she was on her deathbed and said she had an ‘incredibly peaceful death’.
Deborah is pictured with her 12-year-old daughter Eloise, left. Her father Sebastien says he feels a responsibility to carry on his wife’s positive outlook for their children
Deborah smiles and holds her thumb up in a final farewell from hospital, maintaining her positive spirit up until her last moments
In the months leading up to her death, Deborah had Prince William over for tea, who made her a Dame.
Living life on her own terms despite her illness, she designed Charity T-shirts a clothing line to raise millions more for her ‘Bowelbabe’ fund.
The Dame also wrote and published her second book How to Live When You Should Be Dead, while suffering from cancer, detailing how developing a positive mindset was key to enabling her to cope with her diagnosis.
Thinking of what he loved most about her, he said her way of finding joy in every moment, even in the darkest of times, was what he will miss the most.
Deborah’s candid posts about her progress and diagnosis, including videos of her dancing her way through treatment, won praise from the public and media alike.
