A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin says he was forced to carry on working despite suffering with terminal cancer because he had failed to take out ‘critical illness’ cover.
The broadcaster, 49, has lung cancer which has spread to his brain. While he had taken out insurance for getting the ‘terminal diagnosis’, this will not payout until he has died.
He has therefore had to carry on working, despite being so ill, as it was the only way to continue providing an income for his family in the meantime.
Jonnie has son Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica Holmes. He says in hindsight it was a mistake not to take out ‘critical illness’ cover so he could have stopped working as soon as he was diagnosed.
Jonnie with son Rex, three, twins Rafa and Cormac, two, and wife Jessica. He has said there’s no need to tell his children about his illness as they are too young
The presenter was told he had six months to live two years ago. Appearing on Thursday’s Morning Live, he told hosts Gethin Jones and Kimberley Walsh he wished he’d done things differently with life insurance.
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 terminal cancer, and says he hopes sharing his 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.’
‘So when you get a terminal diagnosis, it covers you for when you’re gone,’ he said. ‘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.
‘I didn’t take that and that put 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.
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.’
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.
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.
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. The presenter wishes he’d made different choices with regards to life insurance
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 and Jess tied the knot within 12 months of meeting in 2016 after Jonnie convinced his new love to hand in her notice at work and go travelling with him
Jonnie last week shared some sweet festive snaps with his family, as he makes the most of his time with loved ones.
He and his wife Jess took Rex to see Santa Claus at a Christmas tree farm where they enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine.
Alongside the pictures Jonnie penned: ‘Ok, I’ve given in, Christmas is here! Nothingbtondonwith the mince pies and mulled wine on offer at all! Merry Christmas! X’
Twins Rafa and Cormac, two, didn’t feature in the family pictures.
It came after last month Jonnie admitted Christmas will be ‘tricky’ following his terminal cancer diagnosis.
He also gushed about his ‘perfect partnership’ with wife Jess whom he married within just a year of meeting in 2016.
With just days to go until December, 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.
‘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.’
A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin shared some sweet festive snaps with his family amid his terminal cancer battle
The TV presenter, 49, was given just six months to live when he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, which has spread to his brain, in August 2020, and publicly shared his prognosis last month
Jonnie is making the most of time with his loved ones and headed on a Christmas day out with his wife Jess and son Rex, three
The couple tied the knot within 12 months of meeting after Jonnie convinced his new love to hand in her notice at work and go travelling with him.
He said: ‘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. 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?’
Jonnie recently revealed he’s been ‘showered with love’ by fans. The TV host admitted he ‘had no idea how much people liked what he did’ on the series, until he was flooded with supportive comments and messages from fans offering their sympathies.
During an appearance on GMB, Jonnie revealed his focus at the moment is ‘making memories’ for his children – because he fears they won’t remember him after he dies.
‘At the moment I’m me, a thinner version, there’s no need to tell them. I think it’ll be a lot for them to get their heads round.
‘I try my best to put my head in the sand because what’s the point spending your days thinking about cancer when there’s gas bills to worry about. The cost of living is a concern because I won’t witness it, but my family will.’
He continued: ‘I was in fear of what’s happened to some extent, when people find out you have cancer it’s terrifying and I lose work through it, professionally I didn’t want to lose work, people treat you differently.
‘If I withheld that information, I could have lived a normal life. There are certain busy bodies on social media saying I look ill.’
Sharing his diagnosis, Jonnie earlier told Hello: ‘I’m carrying a dirty secret – it’s become a monkey on my back. 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.
‘I set little markers – things I want to be around for. I got into the habit of saying, ‘Don’t plan ahead because I might not be well enough’.
‘But now I want to make plans. I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart.’
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