Jonnie Irwin has said he is planning to record video messages so he can still speak to his beloved wife and three children after he passes away.
The TV presenter, 49, is battling terminal cancer after tumours spread to his brain two years on from his initial diagnosis.
Jonnie presented a segment about digital legacy on Morning Live on Friday and left hosts Rav Wilding and Kimberley Walsh with ‘goosebumps’.
The Escape To The Country host said he is ‘taking every opportunity’ to give wife Jessica, 40, and their three children – son Rex, three and twins Rafa and Cormac, two – a bright future when he is no longer here.
After watching a segment about how a woman battling stage 4 bowel cancer records a short clip each day for her loved ones to watch when she is gone, Jonnie said he plans to do the same.
Jonnie Irwin has said he is planning to record video messages so he can still speak to his beloved wife and three children after he passes away
‘It’s amazing to think I too could speak to my wife and children after I pass away. My diagnosis has taken a lot from me but it has given me the ability to prepare.
‘The only way to make sure your digital legacy is as you like it, is to take control now. And I’m going to take every opportunity to do that for the people I love.’
The programme went on to provide information on the ways in how to prepare a ‘digital legacy will’ so you can tell loved ones what you want to happen to things like social media pages.
A digital legacy is an individual’s online interactions, covering everything from social media platforms to emails.
It is something that is often left out of estate plans, as they aren’t seen as tangible assets, but they are just as important as your family can’t legally obtain access, which is a problem if they need to obtain information.
Also a digital legacy is important to specify the actions you want taken on certain accounts, for example if Facebook page is deleted or memoralised.
Reflecting on his own actions so far, Jonnie said: ‘I’ve got a lifetime of memories and while over the years many have been stored online and whilst I’ve been getting my affairs in order since my diagnosis two and a half years ago, I’ve not given much thought to my digital legacy.
‘I’ve posted thousands of pictures and digital images online but when I pass on I’ve got no idea what will happen to those images.’
Devoted husband: The Escape To The Country host said he is ‘taking every opportunity’ to give wife Jessica, 40, a bright future
Chills: Host Rav Wilding said back in the studio: ‘I’ve got goosebumps. Such a powerful film from Jonnie. I think that film is a real reminder about all the practical things you can do’
Moving: ‘It’s amazing to think I too could speak to my wife and children after I pass away. My diagnosis has taken a lot from me but it has given me the ability to prepare’
Host Rav said back in the studio: ‘I’ve got goosebumps. Such a powerful film from Jonnie. I think that film is a real reminder about all the practical things you can do.’
Kimberley: ‘It’s heartbreaking. I do think creating special memories with your loved you can be as simple as sitting down for a Sunday roast.’
Jonnie went public with his diagnosis in November, after secretly battling cancer for two years.
The married father of three children said he hoped sharing his diagnosis would inspire others to ‘make the most of every day’.
He told Hello magazine: ‘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’.
Inspiration: The married father of three children said he hoped sharing his diagnosis would inspire others to ‘make the most of every day’
‘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.’
Jonnie was diagnosed with cancer while filming Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun in Italy in 2020.
He had been driving when his vision became blurred and doctors at home discovered he was terminally ill.
Cancer drugs and chemotherapy have helped prolong his life.
Heartbreaking: Jonnie was diagnosed with cancer while filming Channel 4 ‘s A Place In The Sun in Italy in 2020
The Leicestershire-born presenter is being supported by his wife Jessica, 40. He said: ‘Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.’
The couple live with their three children in Newcastle, having moved there from Hertfordshire in 2020.
Jonnie said he had chosen to keep his illness private until now. His case is reminiscent of Dame Deborah James’ battle with bowel cancer, which she chose to make public to raise awareness and funds for research.
He said: ‘I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying.
‘One day, this is going to catch up with me, but I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible.
‘I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family.’
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.’
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