Jonnie Irwin gives heartbreaking update on terminal cancer battle

A Place In The Sun‘s Jonnie Irwin has given a heartbreaking update amid his tragic cancer battle.

The presenter, 49, 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 The Sun, Jonnie openly said: ‘I’m weak now, fragile and my memory is terrible… but I’m still here.’

Jonnie, who celebrated his 50th birthday early this week, then explained: ‘I tried to play football with Rex the other day and was in goal and I couldn’t get near the ball. It was so frustrating.

‘I’m very sporty and suddenly it’s just like…it was as if it was the first time I’d attempted football. I felt like a granddad. 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 cancer battle

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 apologising. He kept saying ‘sorry’ over and over and I just kept telling him it wasn’t his fault.’ 

She added: ‘I think I’m still in denial about a lot of it if I’m honest.’

The father of three was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 and was given months to live.

The TV presenter initially decided to keep his illness private but then went public one year later.

Jonnie recently spoke about his condition saying he is trying to make as many memories as possible with his wife Jessica and their three sons.

It comes after Jonnie said he is planning to record video messages so he can still speak to his beloved wife and three children after he passes away.

Jonnie presented a segment about 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 every opportunity’ to give 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 clip each day for her loved ones to watch when she is gone, Jonnie said he plans to do the same.

‘It’s amazing to think I too could speak 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.’

Devoted family man: It comes after Jonnie has said he is planning to record video messages so he can still speak to his beloved wife Jessica, whom he is pictured with, and three children after he passes away

Treatment: Jonnie showed off a picture of the zip up portable chamber he was using after walking to the treatment centre via the high level bridge in Newcastle

Reflecting on his own actions so far, Jonnie said: ‘I’ve got a lifetime of memories and while over the years many have been stored online and whilst I’ve been getting my affairs in order since my diagnosis two and a half years ago, I’ve not given much thought to my digital legacy.

‘I’ve posted thousands of pictures and digital images online but when I pass on I’ve got no idea what will happen to those images.’

Host Rav said back in the studio: ‘I’ve got goosebumps. Such a powerful film from Jonnie. I think that film is a real reminder about all the practical things you can do.’

Kimberley: ‘It’s heartbreaking. I do think creating special memories with your loved you can be as simple as sitting down for a Sunday roast.’

Last month, Jonnie gave fans a health update, revealing he had begun Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy .

A hyperbaric chamber is a highly-pressurized room or tube where a patient is given pure oxygen to breathe.

At this higher air pressure, the lungs are able to take in more oxygen than under normal conditions.

Jonnie shared a snap of the zip up portable chamber he was using after walking to the treatment centre via the high level bridge in Newcastle.

Writing: ‘And at the end of this walk…is this…hyperbaric oxygen therapy.’

It’s believed flooding the body with concentrated oxygen can help make cancer cells easier to kill with treatments like chemotherapy and radiation while also activating the healing process in your body.

However other studies have seen mixed and inconclusive results in the past with some believing it ineffective.

Last week, Jonnie returned to A Place in the Sun amid his battle with terminal lung cancer.

Sharing a snap of his outfit, he wrote on Instagram on Saturday: ‘Selecting wardrobe for @aplaceinthesunofficial LIVE Tomorrow in Manchester.

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)

‘It’s an early start and as I’m not fit enough to run for the train atm I’m prepping the night before.

‘My wife can’t quite believe it! Cold weather calls for wool, wool, and more wool.’

He also revealed he would be reuniting with fellow A Place In The Sun host Jasmine Harman.

Jonnie said: ‘It’s also are rare thing for @jasmineharman and myself to both be there on a Sunday so please coming along and we’ll hopefully see you there.’

From Lutterworth to Lanzarote: How former estate agent Jonnie Irwin’s TV career took off after he beat hundreds to present A Place in the Sun

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’

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 alongside co-presenter Jasmine Harman to present Channel 4’s show A Place In The Sun – Home Or Away. The property programme was a surprise hit and syndicated widely. Irwin also regularly presents the 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 in order buy their dream business. 

Later that year, he started a new series The Renovation Game which aired on weekday mornings on Channel 4. 

Outside of presenting, he is also a commercial director for Judicare, which describes itself as a ‘specialist law firm providing clients with legal advice on all matters related to overseas property’.

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 try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.’

Jonnie Irwin gives heartbreaking update on terminal cancer battle
Source: Viral Buzz Philippines