Jonnie Irwin has revealed that he kept his terminal cancer diagnosis a secret for so long as he needed to feed his babies and 'pay the bills' - citing worries of being 'thrown on the scrap heap'.
The former A Place in the Sun host was initially diagnosed with lung cancer back in August 2020 while filming for the show, when his vision became blurred while driving prompting medical attention.
Experts gave Jonnie just six months to live after discovering that the cancer had spread to his brain - but almost three years later, he is still fighting the heart-breaking condition.
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And taking to AIG's brand-new One Chat podcast recently, the 49-year-old presenter opened up on his choice to keep his cancer a secret.
He said: "I got diagnosed with this horrendous disease two and a half years ago, and we'll come onto it later but because I don't have critical and stuff - I need money. And the only reason that I kept it secret, is because I've got to earn.
"I've got to feed my babies, I've got to pay the bills. And as soon as you say you've got cancer people just write you off. People just think you're going to cark it, and I had to live with it as a secret.
"If I was to continue to be able to provide for my family, I just had to keep it a secret - and it was really difficult, living with such a massive black cloud above me and pretending to everyone else. Everyone outside my tight knit had no idea...it's a pretty well kept secret."
Jonnie then went on to explain that his fears come true after one company decided not to renew his contract after claiming to be unable to insure him. He added: "Unfortunately, one of the companies claimed they couldn't insure me and so they didn't renew my contract and left a massive hole in my income.
"And so, if I had critical illness, I wouldn't have been so reliant. But just as importantly, I felt like I'd been thrown on the scrap heap. They'd recruited within a week, and then I could see someone else doing my job."
Jonnie eventually would reveal his devastating diagnosis in November 2022, revealing on the podcast that he thought it was 'obvious' that he was terminally ill after hiding from photo shots and people wanting to take selfies with him. He continued: "So I've kept it secret for so long, and then I just thought it's obvious.
"I was hiding from photo shots, people wanting a selfie."
Jonnie, who is the father to three boys, Rex, Rafa and Cormac, was given just six months to live after his terminal diagnosis in 2020. He has since took the time to spend vital time with his wife Jess and the rest of the family, while openly speaking about how his condition has affected him.
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