The well-known host of two TV programs has admitted he has terminal cancer. Jonnie Irwin, host of Escape to the Country, first discusses his diagnosis of lung cancer that has spread to his brain in an emotional and affecting interview with HELLO! magazine. The celebrity had previously opted to keep his condition a secret, but he has now made the decision to give his one and only interview in an effort to “get the monkey off my back.”
Speaking to the magazine with his wife Jessica, 40, and their children Rex, 3, Rafa, 2, and Cormac, 2, Jonnie explains: “I don’t know how long I have, but I make an effort to think positively and maintain the mindset that I am living with cancer rather than passing away from it. I make small goals for myself that I wish to achieve. I developed the practice of advising people not to make plans in advance because I might not feel good enough. I want to make plans immediately, though. My babies won’t grow up knowing their dad, and that tears my heart, therefore I want to preserve memories and document these times with my family.”
The first indication that something was awry came to Jonnie as he was driving while filming A Place in the Sun in Italy in August 2020. His lung cancer had gone to his brain, according to tests that were immediately conducted. I was given six months to live within a week of flying home from filming, he recounts. “I had to return home and let my wife, who was taking care of our children, know that she was essentially on her own. That was terrible. I was only able to apologize to her. I felt so in charge.”
Chemotherapy and cancer medications have extended Jonnie’s outlook while he has made every effort to continue working. Only a tiny number of his friends and family were aware of his condition throughout, but he now wants to discuss his illness. It has turned like a monkey on my back, he continues, and it seems like I’m carrying a dirty secret at this point. “I’m hoping that by shaking that monkey off and speaking with HELLO!, I may encourage individuals who are facing life-limiting circumstances to make the most of every day and show them that it’s possible to be happy while they’re dying.
One day, he continues, “This is going to catch up with me.” “But I’m making every effort to delay that day as long as I can. To Jess and our boys, I owe that. While other people in my position have bucket lists, I just want our family to experience as much as possible.
Jonnie also wants to promote purchasing life insurance. He eventually did so when the twins were born since he had always “taken risks.” That has been a huge assistance, and I’ll be able to pass away knowing that Jess and the boys have a totally paid-off property and enough cash in the bank to live on when I die.