Jonnie Irwin has made a rare red carpet appearance and said he considers “every day as a gift” amid his terminal cancer battle.
The former A Place In The Sun presenter, 49, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020 but only went public with it last November after being told that it had spread to his brain.
After being told that he could only have “months to live”, he has been making it his mission to spend as much time as possible with wife Jessica Holmes, and their children, Rex, four, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
Now, he has also made some new memories with his former Escape to the Country colleagues Nicki Chapman, Jules Hudson and Sonali Shah, as he posed with them at the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Awards in London on Tuesday night.
Speaking to The Mirror on the red carpet, Irwin said: “Today is a good day. Yesterday I peeled myself out of bed and munched painkillers but so far so good today. I take every day as a gift and as it comes.”
Both Escape to the Country and A Place In The Sun were up for an award in the same category on the night with the latter walking away as the winner.
Irwin previously claimed that Channel 4, who broadcasts A Place In The Sun, had “pushed him aside for someone healthier” after discovering his terminal cancer diagnosis. He added that he was told they didn’t “think they can get the insurance”.
He said that the move had left him “heartbroken”, adding: “I just feel I’d earned a bit more from them after 18 years”.
Channel 4 representatives said the production company “were unable to secure adequate insurance cover” for Irwin.
In comparison, he said that the BBC, who are behind Escape to the Country, had been like a “family” to him.
“With a notable exception from one production company, as soon as they found out, they put their arm around me and, insurance provided, they looked for work when I could,” he explained.
“So any location that was anywhere near me I was [the] first candidate for, and they really helped me find work. They were understanding, especially with travel arrangements. They were so supportive, I can’t thank them enough.”
