A Place In The Sun star Jonnie Irwin has painstakingly revealed he has been at “death’s door twice” following his “brutal” cancer diagnosis.
The presenter, 49, was tragically told he had lung cancer in 2020 but went public with his diagnosis last year.
He shared the heartbreaking moment he had to tell his wife, Jessica, in an emotional interview with the OneChat podcast with AIG Life.
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The TV star said he tries to stay positive and “doesn’t like to talk about” it too much with her.
His terminal cancer has since spread to his brain.
Speaking about his diagnosis, he said: “The programme is to try and remain positive. Positive for me is burying my head in the sand a bit.
(Image: jonnieirwintv/Instagram)
“Jess and I don’t talk about it much and we’ve been close to death’s door a few times now. Twice at least.”
Jonnie said he had been filming A Place In The Sun in Italy when he suddenly noticed “weird gold spots” while he was driving.
A crew member, who was with him at the time, dashed him to the hospital where medics told him there were nodules around his brain.
He said: “Within a few hours I got told I had cancer. And I was like ‘right.’
(Image: Instagram/jonnieirwintv)
“Then a few hours later, my good friend Rahul was sat with me when they said it is terminal cancer and I had six months to live.
“Do you ever hear the phrase it knocked the wind out of you? Nothing had ever done that to me and it did it. I was just battered.”
Jonnie said he told his wife “I’m not going to be here anymore” when he revealed his diagnosis.
He added: “How do you tell a woman who only two months before has had twins? How do you tell them that you’re not going to be there anymore?
(Image: jonnieirwintv/Instagram)
“I can remember it like it was yesterday. I’ve got no memory since I’ve had brain therapy but that b****y memory stays in my head and it is brutal.”
The property expert was told he had a two to three-year lifeline when medics found out his cancer had a mutation.
He explained: “That mutation meant that they had a drug that could target some defect in the cancer and that could buy me an extra two or three years.
“I remember driving out and just bursting into tears. That was the first bit of positive news I had in weeks and I felt I’d got a break.
(Image: jonnieirwintv/Instagram)
“This miracle drug Osimertinib is going to give me two to three years.
“It didn’t. And so six months later, the lesions have grown again.”
Jonnie said he will continue to be positive.
He added: “Every day is a challenge but I maintain to be as positive as I can. If that means burying my head in the sand that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
