Jonnie Irwin has shared an update on his health while appearing on BBC One‘s Morning Live on Monday.
The A Place in The Sun star, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2020, was interviewed by hosts Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton via video link from his home in Newcastle to talk about palliative care.
When asked by Gethin how he was feeling, Jonnie shared: “I’m really good. I have up days and down days but today is very much an up day. The family are great and very noisy.”
Jonnie went on to speak about palliative care, which he has been using ever since he was first diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, which spread to his brain.
© BBC“I’ve been in palliative care since day one,” he explained. “It can take many guises, palliative care through the hospital, chemotherapy treatment, all the way to the hospice.”
When asked to describe the hospice he has been admitted to, Jonnie said: “My hospice is a delight, actually. I wouldn’t say it’s like a hotel but it’s like a very nice private hospital.
© Instagram“My perception of a hospice was very much a boiling hot room full of people that look frail and are towards the end of their days. This is nothing of the sort. It is spacious, energised, and comfortable. It even has a jacuzzi bath and ensuite rooms. The staff are just amazing and I’ve had a really good experience of my hospice.”
Jonnie first went public with his cancer diagnosis in November 2022 after keeping his illness private for two years.
© Photo: RexSharing his story with HELLO! at the time, he said: “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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“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, who shares son Rex, four, and three-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac, with his wife Jessica, revealed in June that he chose not to tell his children about his illness.
“I keep being asked, ‘Are you going to tell them?’ but tell them what?” Jonnie asked in an interview with HELLO! to celebrate Father’s Day. “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.”
© InstagramSpeaking about his hopes for his three boys, Jonnie said in a heartbreaking message: “I want them to believe they can do anything… I want them to be confident, but believe in yourselves, because you can do anything… I’ve seen their capabilities and they’re boundless.”