Jonnie Irwin is a British TV presenter, lecturer, writer, business and property expert, husband, and father of 3 boys. He has been active in the television space since the early 2000s and went on to build quite an amiable career for himself through the years.
However, in November 2022, the TV personality known for his stint on A Place in the Sun – Home or Away, shared with the world that he was terminally ill.
Jonnie Irwin shared that he was diagnosed with a serious case of lung cancer in 2020. 3 years after the diagnosis, he had another revelation about his health concerning his journey with the terminal illness.
Jonnie Irwin was Diagnosed with Lung Cancer in 2020
Host of ‘A Place in the Sun’ and ‘Escape to the Country’ first became aware that something was wrong with him in 2020. He was filming the Channel 4 program, ‘A Place in the Sun’ in Italy when he noticed that his vision got blurry while he was driving.
After running a series of tests, it was revealed that he had lung cancer and at the time, it had spread to his brain. A week after his return from Italy, the doctors said that Irwin only had 6 months to live, and his time started counting from 2020 when the diagnosis was made.
He was placed on palliative care since he was first diagnosed because the doctors believed he wouldn’t make it for long.
The TV presenter has been married to a woman named Jessica Irwin since September 2016 and has 3 sons with her. Jessica was the first person he thought to break the news of his diagnosis.
His sons are named Rex born in 2018, and twin boys Rafa and Cormac born in 2020.
Irwin believed he hadn’t much time to live and so had to prepare the mother of his kids for the worst. He only also told just a few family members and close friends and hid his diagnosis from outsiders and the world, until 2022.
With the help of cancer drugs, the father of 3 has been able to prolong his prognosis and even continued to work, shielding away his ill health.
Jonnie decided to open up to Hello Magazine in 2022 about his diagnosis because luckily, he has been able to survive past his speculated time, through help, chemotherapy, and medications. He wanted to use the opportunity to encourage people living with terminal illnesses and life-limiting health issues to live their lives to the fullest, using his life as an example.
It’s been almost 3 years since the diagnosis of his terminal illness and Jonnie Irwin is still alive. He managed to exceed the time frame given in 2020.
Nonetheless, in his words, he has always felt like he was carrying a monkey on his back. He then deems it right to tell people what he has been going through. Irwin felt like he was carrying a dirty secret that needed to be shared with people.
Another aim of his revelation was to encourage people to take life insurance. After taking his in 2020, Jonnie rests easy now knowing that his family will be protected and secured when he is no more.
Update on Jonnie Irwin’s Health
On September 17, 2023, the ‘Escape to the Country’ presenter who is currently 51 years old, shared an update on his health challenge. Apparently, despite surpassing the prognosis earlier given, he is still battling the cancer.
He made an official post on his Instagram handle stating that he has had to do more scans and that the waiting period for the result is frustrating.
According to the post, Jonnie stated that the cancer was on the move again. The update carried a carousel of 3 slides with the first being of the TV presenter in the hospital and wearing an oxygen mask.
He ended the caption of the post with gratitude for all those who have been helping him get better. This included the ‘How to Starve Cancer’ organization as well as the Sereniti health team which makes sure he lives healthily.
Since his diagnosis, Jonnie Irwin continued to work and tried to continue with his life as normal. He was also trying to create as many memories with his loved ones as he could.
Jonnie admitted that it’s difficult knowing his sons would grow up not knowing their father seeing that they are 5 years and under as of this update.
Jonnie Irwin believes that as he is alive, he will try to make every minute count with his kids and family.
Over the years, Irwin has followed all protocols to make sure that he lives healthily and right. He has been able to buy some time for himself and his family.
He and his followers and indeed a lot of others who have heard his story are all waiting for the results of his scan. Hopefully, it won’t be so much bad news.
