Jonnie Irwin posted to Instagram to mark a special ‘final’ with his oldest son Rex (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
Jonnie Irwin has marked an emotional final milestone with his young son, amid his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The A Place In The Sun star was initially diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020, before revealing in November last year that the tumour had spread to his brain.
Despite previously being told that he may only have months to live, and recently sharing that he feels ‘a lot weaker’, the 49-year-old is being living his life to the full, both in his work and precious family time.
On Monday, he shared a poignant ‘last ever’ as he took his four-year-old son Rex to nursery for the day.
He also shares two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife, Jessica Holmes.
‘Last EVER ride to nursery with Rex. Suitably waved off by Rafa and his spade and Rex with his game face on!’ the doting dad captioned his post.
Jonnie shared a trio of photos from the moment to mark the occasion, which showed Rex on his little bike, kitted out in a cool Batman helmet and cycling gloves, with his dad behind him on his, as they posed for a picture in the driveway.
Rafa was also involved, holding his yellow spade in the foreground.
The TV star then shared another picture of Rex mid-ride on the way to nursery, as well as a selfie of them both during a pause on their journey, with Jonnie in a blue neck scarf, dark green jacket and baseball cap.
As always, his fans heaped praise on Jonnie for his positivity in the face of adversity.
The dad-of-three cycled with Rex to drop him off at nursey for the last time (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
He shared plenty of pictures on social media as he continued to enjoy family time (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
‘Jonnie you are truly inspiring,’ posted one, while someone else added: ‘Johnny [sic], you’re a credit and an inspiration.’
‘Lovely photos Jonnie. Your boys will remember these moments forever. Sending love and best wishes ❤️❤️❤️,’ shared a third.
The father-of-three was recently commended for continuing to work despite his ill health.
Just last week, he shared a job he had done with a company called Mayfair Worktops where he visited a couple to speak about renovations that they’d made to their home.
In a post shared on Instagram with a clip of his meeting with the couple, Jonnie wrote in the caption: ‘If you’re not happy with the worktop choice offered by the developer you can source one yourself- that’s what this couple did so I went to have a nose!…’
Fans recently praised the TV star for continuing to work (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
Mayfair Worktops confirmed in a post that Jonnie was ‘back’, before adding ‘not that he ever really went away’.
Sharing more details on their collaboration, the company wrote: ‘In the first part of our much-reported film, Jonnie meets home owners Howard and Jade, who tell us exactly why they decided to replace existing, brand new worktops with our beautiful Grey Starlight Quartz.’
In the comments underneath Jonnie’s post, he received high praise for the way in which he’s still persevering with his work despite what he’s going through in life.
‘Wow what an amazing man, trying your best to give your family everything you can ❤️,’ one person wrote, referencing his wife and three young children.
‘Great to see you working, you are my favourite presenter on Escape to the Country. I am so sorry for everything that you’re going through. You are a fantastic family man and such an inspiration to us all. Love you Jonnie ❤️,’ another said.
He has been open about his terminal cancer diagnosis online, although he has not told his young kids (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
With wife Jess (Picture: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
He has also been enjoying further quality time with his family, enjoying a recent day out with his boys.
‘Front seat on the Metro riding with uncle @stuart.j.kane’, he captioned the pic, with his sons wide-eyed and open-mouthed with joy next to him.
Jonnie also wore a smile as he snapped the pic, wearing a jumper and waterproof coat with a cap on his head.
Later on, he took to the comments to give an update on his condition.
‘Felling ok is the new feeling great! Make the most! X’, he proclaimed.
His followers then flocked to the comments to send their love.
‘Love this pic mate! I’ve said before your strength is astounding mate’, one person complimented.
‘Great to see you getting out and about. ❤️, another added.
Jonnie’s three kids remain unaware of his terminal cancer, as he doesn’t want to ‘confuse’ them.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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The A Place In The Sun star continues to be open about living with terminal cancer.