TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has received a flood of support from fans after sharing his "devastating" terminal cancer diagnosis last week.
The A Place In The Sun and Escape To The Country presenter, 48, revealed in an emotional interview that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer which had spread to his brain, telling Hello magazine: "I don't know how long I have left". Jonnie said that he was initially given six months to live within a week of flying back from filming in Italy for A Place In The Sun in August 2020, after his vision became blurry while driving.
"I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating," Jonnie said. "All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible."
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The presenter said of making his diagnosis public: "I hope that by shaking that monkey off I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying. One day, this is going to catch up with me, but I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible."
Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer, with more than 43,000 people in the UK diagnosed with the condition every year. Lung cancer mainly affects older people and is rare in people younger than 40, with more than four in 10 people diagnosed aged 75 or older.
Although you can develop lung cancer if you have never smoked, smoking is the most common cause of the condition - accounting for more than 70% of cases. Treatment depends on how good your general health is, the type of mutation the cancer has, and how far it's spread.
Here are the symptoms of lung cancer to look out for, according to the NHS. The health service urges people to see a GP if they have any of either the main or less common symptoms, although adds that these symptoms develop as the condition progresses and there are usually no signs in the early stages.
Main symptoms of lung cancer
- A cough that does not go away after 3 weeks
- A long-standing cough that gets worse
- Chest infections that keep coming back
- Coughing up blood
- An ache or pain when breathing or coughing
- Persistent breathlessness
- Persistent tiredness or lack of energy
- Loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss
Less common symptoms of lung cancer
- Changes in the appearance of your fingers, such as becoming more curved or their ends becoming larger (this is known as finger clubbing)
- Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or pain when swallowing
- Wheezing
- A hoarse voice
- Swelling of your face or neck
- Persistent chest or shoulder pain
A GP will ask about your general health and symptoms, and they may examine you and ask you to breathe into a spirometer which measures how much air you breathe in and out. A chest X-ray is usually the first test used to diagnose lung cancer, after which a specialist will arrange further tests if they find something of concern on the X-ray - you can find more information on the NHS website.
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