Jonnie Irwin made a rare public appearance and chatted frankly about his cancer (Picture: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Jonnie Irwin has revealed doctors never expected him to live until 2023 after diagnosing him with terminal cancer.
The A Place In The Sun presenter revealed late last year that he was told he could have just ‘months’ to live after cancer in his lung spread to his brain.
His young sons remain unaware of his illness as he doesn’t want to ‘confuse’ them, but he’s been making the most of family time with his wife Jessica and Rex, four, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
Despite his personal struggles, Jonnie, 49, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday (June 27) and wore a smile on his face as he celebrated with old Escape to the Country colleagues.
Speaking at the event, the TV star said every day is now a ‘gift’ to him.
He told The Mirror at TRIC Awards in London: ‘Today is a good day. Yesterday I peeled myself out of bed and munched painkillers, but so far so good today.’
The TV presenter wore a smile as he accompanied former co-stars to the TRIC Awards (Picture: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
Jonnie said his Escape to the Country colleagues had supported him like ‘family’ (Picture: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)
‘I take every day as a gift and as it comes,’ added the dad-of-three.
Jonnie was also full of praise for his former BBC co-stars, saying the likes of Jules Hudson and Nicki Chapman were like a ‘family’.
It comes after he claimed A Place In The Sun would not insure him after he revealed his cancer diagnosis, leaving him feeling like he had been ‘thrown on a scrap heap.’
‘With a notable exception from one production company, as soon as they found out they put their arm around me and, insurance provided, they looked for work when I could,’ he said of the Escape to the Country team.
‘So any location that was anywhere near me I was the first candidate for and they really helped me find work.
‘They were understanding especially with travel arrangements. They were so supportive I can’t thank them enough.’
The dad-of-three says every day is now a ‘gift’ to him (Picture: Instagram)
Jonnie feels like he can ‘breathe’ now people know about his cancer (Picture: OneChat podcast)
He also said their TRIC Award nomination was ‘recognition for all the work that production, post-production, and crew all put in.’
‘I’ve worked on Escape for coming up to ten years, but 20 years in the industry and I’ve had the most fun and it’s the most like a family of all the shows I’ve done.’
Jonnie ended on a positive note, saying he felt like he could ‘breathe’ finally after sharing his cancer diagnosis from 2020 with the world, two years on.
‘I could talk to people about why I felt ill and why I was losing weight.
‘I didn’t have to answer Karens on Instagram saying, “You look ill”, “You don’t look well”, “You need a cooked meal.”
Jonnie wasn’t expected to live until 2023 (Picture: Instagram)
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‘I also wanted to show that because you have cancer it doesn’t mean you are a different person.
‘You can still work. Look at me now! I don’t think the doctors were expecting me to make 2023 but here I am and I’m available at work. And I’m especially available to parties!’
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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‘Look at me now!’