Katherine Sidnell
Jonnie Irwin has spoken out about his terminal cancer diagnosis, revealing he has one regret that he wants people to learn from.
Back in 2020, the A Place in The Sun host was given six months to live after the disease spread to his brain.
Though the 49-year-old continues to defy the odds, he still wishes he’d been able to approach the diagnosis differently.
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Irwin first became aware of his condition back in 2020 while filming the beloved property show in Italy.
As he drove, his vision rapidly became blurry and caused the A Place in The Sun star to seek medical support.
Tragically, tests revealed his horrific prognosis which came less than two months after his twin sons, Rafa and Cormac, were born.
Appearing on AIG Life's The OneChat podcast, he admitted that telling his wife he had terminal cancer was the ‘hardest thing’ he’s ever done - saying that he remembered the heartbreaking moment as if it were yesterday.
“I’ve got no memory since my whole brain therapy. But that bloody memory stays in my head. And it is brutal,” he revealed: “All I can remember is hugging her and just saying, 'Sorry'."
Heartbreakingly, he also said that he regretted working throughout the last two years.
Like many of us, the presenter had taken out life insurance but he didn't add on critical illness cover, meaning he was unable to take time off of work to be with his loved ones.
“Without work, I’ve got no means of paying the bills,” he told listeners: “And if I had taken the critical illness insurance out, that could’ve covered my outgoings and I probably could’ve told the world [about his condition] a lot sooner."
Desperate for others not to experience the same situation, Irwin has been encouraging others to look at their insurance and financial situation.
“I could’ve had two years of living a more open lifestyle. And I want people to learn from that mistake,” he admitted. “I think at the time I just thought I can better spend that money elsewhere."
He explained he thought he’d been ‘doing well’ by taking out life insurance – adding that he was fortunate enough to make sure his wife, Jessica, and their three kids were provided for.
As he tries to prepare his family for a life without him, Irwin has also bought his three boys gifts for their eighteen birthdays – fearing they won’t remember him.
He told Hello!: “I think about that and it breaks my heart because that's what I'm destined to be, really - a footnote in their life. So I try to [leave] monuments of my love for them."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week