A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin admits Christmas will be ‘tricky’ after terminal cancer diagnosis: ‘I don’t know if it will be my last one’-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

The TV presenter has months to live following a terminal cancer diagnosis (Picture: Channel 4)

A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin has admitted Christmas isn’t going to be easy following his terminal cancer diagnosis.

The property expert, 49, recently revealed that a tumour in his lung had spread to his brain and he doesn’t know how long he has to live.

He chose to keep his diagnosis private until recently, after the warning signs of cancer first arose in the summer of 2020.

Jonnie – who has three young sons – has spoken about his fear of his children growing up ‘not knowing their dad’.

Now, he’s opened up on what could be his ‘last’ Christmas with his wife, Jess Holmes, whom he married in 2016, and twin boys Rafa and Cormac, 18 months, and Rex, three.

As the festive season approaches, he told The Sun: ‘I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Christmas will be tricky. I’m not saying this will be my last one because I don’t know for certain.

Jonnie recently went public with his diagnosis (Picture: A Place In The Sun)

‘I want to be here as long as I can but it could be. And I want to enjoy it and just spend time with Jess and the kids.’

Proceeding to sing his wife’s praises, he recalled proposing to Jess after less than 12 months together.

‘I asked Jess to marry me because not only is she very pretty but classically so, but she was fun. That’s not to say anyone else I’ve dated wasn’t fun, but she was just on my wavelength,’ he gushed.

He married his wife Jess in 2016 after less than a year together (Picture: Instagram)

The stare three young sons: Rafa and Cormac, 18 months, and Rex, three (Picture: Instagram)

‘She has a great spirit of adventure and we didn’t have one argument until the kids came along, and all parents fall out don’t they?’

The TV star and his other half made the devastating decision to put his dream home in Hertfordshire on the market following his cancer diagnosis.

He now lives in Newcastle, where Jess is from, so she can be surrounded by her family and friends when he’s gone.

He’s been making memories with them and making the most of their time together (Picture: Instagram)

The Channel 4 presenter wants to make sure his family are well looked after when the time comes, especially given the uncertainty surrounding his prognosis.

Doctors told Jonnie he has ‘months, not years’ to live, with his youngest sons just one month old when he learned the news.

‘I couldn’t believe it was happening,’ he said.

Jonnie moved to Newcastle so his wife can be with her family (Picture: Instagram)

‘Initially this thing just happens to you but as soon as your mind gets over the shock, it’s “What about my wife and kids?”, and that stays with you. It doesn’t go away.’

‘That’s when you think right, what can I do? You want to take control,’ he added, detailing how he altered his lifestyle and diet and started ‘putting things in place’.

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‘I know she’ll be fine when I’m gone. She’ll need support but I think she’ll pour all her love into the kids and it will be good for her and good for them,’ he said of his wife.

With a lump in his throat, he added: ‘But there will be times she wants to moan and I’m not going to be there.’

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