Jonnie Irwin on devastating mistake he made after cancer diagnosis

A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin has spoken out about the devastating mistake he made after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The broadcaster, 49, was told he had six months to live two years ago after doctors discovered he had lung cancer which had spread to his brain.

Escape to the Country host Jonnie – who shares son Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica Holmes – appeared on Thursday’s Morning Live when he told hosts Gethin Jones and Kimberley Walsh he wished he’d done things differently with life insurance.  

Difficult: A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin, 49, has spoken out about the devastating mistake he made after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer

He explained: ‘So when you get a terminal diagnosis, it covers you for when you’re gone.

‘But a terminal diagnosis can go on for years and it will affect…your illness affects your work, so if you’re unable to work and you’re waiting for this payout, who is going to pay the rent?

‘So critical illness is a policy you take alongside that and that kicks in as soon as you’re ill.

Heartbreaking: The presenter was told he had six months to live two years ago and he wishes he’d made different choices with regards to life insurance

‘I didn’t take that and that took a lot of a lot of pressure on having to work on days when I didn’t want to go to work, and that’s one mistake I say to everyone.’

Jonnie said he suffered ‘weird visuals’ while filming in Italy, which prompted a crew member to drive him to hospital after they recognised the symptoms. 

He recently said he kept his terminal cancer diagnosis a secret over fears he might lose work if TV bosses discovered he was dying.

Fears: Jonnie recently said he kept his terminal cancer diagnosis a secret over fears he might lose work if TV bosses discovered he was dying (pictured with fellow A Place in the Sun presenter Jasmine Harman)

Jonnie – who said there’s no need to tell his children about his terminal diagnosis as they are too young – insisted he needs to put ‘food on the table’ for his family but says producers are quick to ‘write you off’ when they find out about his diagnosis.

He said: ‘As soon as people find out you’ve got cancer they write you off. Yes, I have stage four and it’s terminal – but not yet, so let me live my life while I can.

‘Yes, I’m a family man and I need to put a roof over our heads and food on the table but work is something that’s really important to me. It also stops me thinking about cancer.’

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Family: Jonnie, who shares son Rex, three, and twins Rafa and Cormac, two, with wife Jessica, said there’s no need to tell his children about his illness as they are too young

Jonnie also claims A Place in the Sun didn’t renew his contract after finding out about his diagnosis, despite him wanting to carry on with the show.

He told The Sun: ‘As soon as I told A Place in the Sun about my diagnosis they paid me for the rest of the season but didn’t renew my contract. They knew I wanted to carry on.

‘That hurt. That broke my heart. I feel hugely let down. I can’t even watch the show now.’

However, Channel 4 have claimed production company Freeform were not able to ‘secure adequate insurance’ to cover Jonnie.

On screen: Jonnie was selected from hundreds of applicants alongside co-presenter Jasmine Harman to present Channel 4’s property show A Place In The Sun – Home Or Away in 2004

A statement from Channel 4 and production company Freeform said: ‘No stone was left unturned in trying to enable Jonnie to continue his international filming with us during COVID but the production company were unable to secure adequate insurance cover for him.

‘We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time.’

While Jonnie has been ‘impressed’ with Escape to the Country and A Place In The Sun Ltd for employing him, the star insists he ‘didn’t get that support’ from A Place in the Sun.

Jonnie, who recently said he was ‘showered with love’ after speaking out about his cancer diagnosis, said he could get them doctors notes and assurances from his oncologist that he was fit to work but he claims bosses explained they were unable to get sufficient insurance.

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From Lutterworth to Lanzarote: How former estate agent Jonnie Irwin’s TV career took off after he beat hundreds to present A Place in the Sun

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.’