Jonnie Irwin has opened up about a big regret amid his terminal cancer fight, saying he wants people to learn from his “mistake”.
The A Place In the Sun star announced last year that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, saying that he didn’t know how long he had left but wanted to “make memories” with his wife Jess and their three little boys.
He was actually diagnosed in 2020 but did not tell fans until 2022, and has since said that he kept it to himself because he was worried it would hurt his career and affect his ability to provide for his family.
READ MORE: Jonnie Irwin ‘removes himself’ from family home to stay in hospice amid terminal cancer
Speaking on AIG Life’s The OneChat podcast, Jonnie said he wanted to leave a “positive footprint” in the world as he talked about what he wished he’d done differently.
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
“I want people to learn from my mistake,” he said.
“I didn’t take critical illness insurance out and therefore I had to keep working.
“Without work, I’ve got no means of paying the bills.
“And if I had taken the critical illness insurance out, that could’ve covered my outgoings and I probably could have come out and told the world a lot sooner.”
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
“I could have had two years of living a more open lifestyle,” added the 49-year-old.
“And I want people to learn from that mistake.”
Jonnie said to be able to concentrate on family and friends and the “battle” is “the most important thing” and that because he didn’t have that cover he hadn’t been able to do that.
The TV star also told how he tries to be as positive as possible and said that he thinks of himself as living with cancer.
(Image: @Jonnieirwintv/Instagram)
He said he wants to try and “live as much as I can everyday”.
Jonnie tied the knot with his wife Jess in 2016 and they welcomed their first son Rex in 2018.
In 2020, Jess gave birth to twin boys, who the couple named Rafa and Cormac.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
