Jonnie Irwin’s widow Jessica Holmes has spoken about the grief she has endured following his death .
The TV star, who presented A Place In The Sun and BBC’s Escape To The Country, announced in November 2022 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 and that it had since spread to his brain.
Holmes, who married Irwin in 2016, admitted his passing on February 2 “still doesn’t feel real” in a heartbreaking new Instagram post.
Posting a photo of a rocky terrain overlooking the sea, the 40-year-old wrote: “It still doesn’t feel real. The sadness is huge.
“I can’t even let myself think what another week without Jonnie will be like let alone another year another 10 years.”Holmes went on to thank her family, friends and strangers for their kindness, adding: “I have been truly touched by all the support from friends and strangers.
“But nothing compares to how I have been picked up by my family and Jonnies sisters , your support and love means everything to me.”Following Irwin’s death, Holmes revealed that she and their children, Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, three, have opted for a “change of scene”.
She shared: “I am loving watching the boys enjoy some days in the sun and having a change of scene is just what we needed.”
Her update comes three weeks after she confirmed Irwin’s death on Instagram, which featured a photo of the late presenter laughing with a small cake lit in front of him.
“Good night my favourite. Thank you for everything. I will always love you,” she wrote.
“The hardest day has come, a day I prayed wouldn’t come.”
She said his “magical brain” continued to fight until the end and that he had given her more than she could have “ever have wished for” including “8 bonkers years of love and adventure and 3 amazing boys”.
“I will continue to make you proud but only with your love still finding me and guiding me for the rest of my life, me and the boys still need you,” she added.
“Jonnie you really were the most handsome man I ever knew and I am so sorry for this cruel end. It really wasn’t fair and you didn’t deserve any of this.
“You gave so much time to others and touched everyone you met, I have never experienced anything like the effect you had on people.
“I love you so much and forever proud of you xxx”.
When Irwin disclosed his lung cancer diagnosis in 2022, the TV presenter said the first warning sign was while he was filming A Place In The Sun in Italy in August 2020, when his vision became blurry while driving.
Within a week of flying home, the Escape to the Country presenter was initially given six months to live - but exceeded his prognosis.
Before his passing, Irwin was praised for raising awareness about his illness and openly discussing his diagnosis.
