Jonnie Irwin bravely kept his cancer diagnosis secret for two years as he feared he would miss out on TV work if bosses found out how serious the condition was.
The former A Place in the Sun host, 49, revealed last week he is dying from terminal cancer. But he has now opened up on why it took so long to tell people.
Jonnie, who has said the home abroad show's bosses gave him the boot when he told them he was sick, revealed he avoided announcing his diagnosis as he wanted to make sure he could provide for his family.
Dad-of-three Jonnie was given just six months to live in 2020 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, which had spread to his brain. He says medication, radiotherapy and chemo have helped keep him alive longer than expected.
He first realised something was wrong when he became ill while filming an episode of A Place In The Sun in Italy.
And now he has claimed the show's bosses didn't renew his contract after he told them of his diagnosis. He explained the decision "broke my heart" and left him feeling hugely let down - so much so he no longer watches the show.
Despite his time on the show coming to an end, Jonnie continued working on projects such as Escape to the Country. He explained he felt he had to ensure wife Jess and his family were secure following his death.
"I want to go knowing that Jess and the boys are looked after,” he candidly told The Sun.
He added that that was why he decided against announcing his sad news earlier, incase it led to him missing out on other roles.
Explaining how he had told producers of A Place In The Sun he was desperate to continue working - and could prove he was fit to do so - he revealed they told him it wasn't an option.
"They said, ‘We don’t think we can get the insurance’, not ‘We can’t get the insurance’, but, ‘We don’t think…’
"That broke my heart and affected my mental health. Within two weeks someone else was on TV doing my job."
Channel 4 and the production company behind the show, Freeform, released a statement saying they had left "no stone unturned" to try to continue allowing Jonnie to film internationally.
They added: "We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time."
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