Jonnie Irwin has revealed his heartbreaking reasons for purchasing his three young sons their gifts in advance of their eighteenth birthdays despite it still being more than a decade away, so his children will remember him on their milestone days.
The former A Place In The Sun host, 49, is tragically suffering from terminal cancer and has been open about his fears for his kids Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac who he shares with his wife Jessica Holmes who he tied the knot with in 2016.
Dad-of-three Jonnie has admitted he is yet to break the news to his three boys about his cancer diagnosis following the announcement last year that he is unsure how long he has to live when the lung cancer spread to his brain and his illness progressed.
Due to the heartbreaking reality that he doesn't know how long he has left with his wife and children, Jonnie has been reportedly planning ahead "for the days he won't be there" for Rex, Rafa, and Corma and has already organised the special gifts.
Speaking in a new interview, Jonnie also updated fans on his ongoing cancer battle and candidly spoke of the painful thought of not seeing his offspring grow up and how he plans to do all he can to remain present, reports the Mirror.
"It pains me to think the twins probably won't remember me. You hear people say: 'I don't remember my dad. He died when I was so young'. I think about that and it breaks my heart because that's what I'm destined to be, really - a footnote in their life," Jonnie told Hello! Magazine.
"So I try to monuments of my love for them."
It comes as Jonnie has ensured his wife Jessica and kids will be able to continue living a comfortable life when the time comes of his sad passing when he purchased a family home 18 months ago that he has been working tirelessly at fixing up.
The 49-year-old purchased the new home when the couple moved their family from Hertfordshire to Newcastle so they could be nearer to Jessica's family amid Jonnie's battle with cancer, purchasing it outright to ensure they weren't left with mortgage payments.
Discussing his death, the dad-of-three added: "It can happen at any time. I’m here to stop it for as long as possible."
Jonnie originally kept quiet about his illness but decided to make the news of his terminal diagnosis public last year after saying he is making as many memories as possible with his wife and children.
We reported previously how Jonnie 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 television presenter had been filming a TV project in Italy when he first speculated something could be wrong with his health as he suffered an incident back in 2020 when he got blurred vision whilst driving. Tests later confirmed he had lung cancer which had spread to his brain.
Ahead of Father's Day this weekend, Jonnie took to his Instagram page to share an adorable snap of himself and his three young children.
"'Father’s Day means even more to me this year. Full shoot in Hello! magazine, link in bio for my interview and video' #fathersday," the TV star captioned the moving image.
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