Monday 14 November 2022 12:32 PM Jonnie Irwin drinks olive oil in Italy in 2020 on before he was given six ... trends now
Smiling to camera while sipping Puglian olive oil in the summer sun, this is Jonnie Irwin on the fateful visit to Europe for A Place in the Sun where he would fall ill and later discover he had terminal cancer in his lungs and brain.
The TV host, 48, had felt dizzy and his vision became blurred while driving on the trip to Italy in August 2020, just two months after the birth of his twin sons.
The Leicestershire-born presenter, who had once hoped to play professional rugby, said: 'Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. 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.'
Within weeks of the medical episode he was given six months to live. More than two years on, Jonnie has revealed the terminal diagnosis that has devastated him, his wife Jessica, 40, and their family. The married father of three hopes his honesty would inspire others to 'make the most of every day', adding: 'I don't know how long I have left'.
MailOnline can reveal that fans of his shows began noting that he was looking unwell around six months ago during a trailer for a new episode of Escape to the Country. On Instagram several people asked him if he was 'okay' because he looked thin and was always wearing a hat. Now it has emerged his body was being ravaged by cancer and chemotherapy, which left him thin and without his trademark shock of blonde hair.
Jonnie, Jessica and their three children son Rex, three, and two-year-old boys Rafa and Cormac in Newcastle, having moved there from Hertfordshire in June 2020 to be closer to family. Weeks later their twins were born in the city's Royal Victoria Infirmary, and poignantly, given what was to come, he said: 'We know having 3 boys under 18 months is gonna be hard but it’s better to have a surfeit of good news rather than a deficit'.
Two months later his world caved in while filming Channel 4's A Place In The Sun in Italy in 2020. In a series of Instagram reels filmed before his illness was revealed, he spoke of his joy at being in Puglia where he stayed on an olive oil farm with orchards dating back to Roman times, calling it an 'absolutely incredible' place.
Speaking to Hello magazine last night, Jonnie said that he had been driving on that trip when his vision became blurred. He went to see a doctor on his return home and discovered he was terminally ill. Cancer drugs and chemotherapy have helped prolong his life for 18 months beyond what specialists had told him.
Jonnie Irwin on the trip to Italy for A Place in the Sun where he would suffer a dizzy spell and blurred vision that would lead to a terminal cancer diagnosis
The estate agent turned TV star sips olive oil on a dream trip to Puglia for the Channel 4 show
His diagnosis came two months after the birth of his twin sons Rafa and Cormac
Weeks before the boys arrived, the family had moved to Newcastle from Hertfordshire to start a new life closer to family
Six months ago Jonnie shared a trailer for a new episode of Escape to the Country. Fans and viewers expressed their concern for his health - but the presenter was secretly ill and undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments
A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin, pictured with his wife Jessica, 40, and their three children, son Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac, has revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis, admitting he doesn’t know ‘how long I have left’
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.'
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The 48-year-old former estate agent's TV career began in 2004 when he was selected from hundreds of applicants to co-present Channel 4's A Place in the Sun with Jasmine Harman. In 2010 he won more fans by becoming a regular host of Escape to the Country on BBC1.
Last night he revealed he has been fighting lung cancer that had tragically spread to his brain. He told Hello magazine: 'I'm carrying a dirty secret – it's become a monkey on my back. 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.'
Jonnie said he had chosen to keep his illness private until now. His case is reminiscent of Dame Deborah James' battle with bowel cancer, which she chose to make public to raise awareness and funds for research.
He said: 'I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to
