Jonnie Irwin and his wife Jessica are the proud parents of three gorgeous youngsters.
Following his cancer diagnosis, the A Place In The Sun host has been making the most of family time, sharing with the world in November that he was told he just had months to live.
Jonnie, 49, found that cancer had progressed to his brain from his lung and recently spent time in the hospital to monitor a change in his pain treatment regimen.
Despite everything that has happened to him, the TV personality has stayed hopeful for his children, who are fully ignorant of his sickness.
Who are Jonnie Irwin’s children?
Jonnie and Jess have four-year-old Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
In 2018, the presenter and his family relocated to Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, before settling in the Newcastle upon Tyne region.
The kids are clearly awestruck by their father, having lately lavished him with affection on Father’s Day.
Jonnie showed off his homemade cards and chocolate cake that everyone bit into in a series of cute photos from the important day, which is likely to be Jonnie’s last Father’s Day.
The broadcaster has stated that he does not want to ‘confuse’ his children, which is why they have not been informed of his sickness.
‘I keep being asked, “Are you going to tell them?” but tell them what?’, he recently said.
‘It would be horrible news that they’d have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he’s got a shocking enough day coming. Let’s bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible.’
Jonnie, on the other hand, has been having some essential chats with his children, particularly his eldest.
‘I’ve started to tell Rex in private conversations, “You can do anything”,’ Jonnie added in a new interview.
‘He’s bright, he’s talented, and comes home from nursery knowing more French than I do,’ the doting dad told Hello!
Jonnie also poignantly noted: ‘Jess is soft, so they’ll have a softer upbringing than if I was around, probably.’
Who is Jonnie Irwin’s wife?
He married Jess in September 2016, and two years later, they had their first kid.
She has remained by his side during his health problems, but it has not been easy.
Jonnie talked up about notifying his wife about his illness on AIG Life’s The OneChat podcast, describing it as “awful.”
He began: ‘A woman who only two months before has had twins, how do you tell her that you’re going to be there anymore?
‘So I just went upstairs, I can remember it like it was yesterday and I’ve got no memory since my whole brain therapy.
‘But that bloody memory stays in my head and it is brutal.
‘And all I can remember is hugging her and just saying sorry and I still feel sorry now.’
Jonnie, a true family guy, shared his anxieties of not being able to care for them, which is why he kept his sickness a secret for so long.
‘As soon as you say you’ve got cancer, people just write you off,’ he also said on the podcast.
‘I had to live with it as a secret.’
Jonnie, however, was unable to work at the same rate after a year and a half.
‘Unfortunately, one of the companies claimed they couldn’t insure and didn’t renew my contract. It left a massive hole in my income.’
Jonnie felt like he’d ‘been thrown on the scrap heap.’
The property expert, on the other hand, is keeping his chin up and spending as much time as he can with his loved ones, whether it’s a Lake District trip or playing dress-up with his youngsters.
He’s also regularly expressed gratitude to fans for their support, claiming he’s ‘overwhelmed’ by the outpouring of affection.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
Source My Celebrity Life.
