03 February 2023 , 15:35
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Jonnie Irwin has plans to ‘speak to wife and children’ after his death by recording video messages for them.
A Place In The Sun star Jonnie revealed last year that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer after his lung cancer spread to his brain.
The 49-year-old shared that he could have months to live and is now preparing to say a heartbreaking goodbye to wife Jess and their children, son Rex, six, and two-year-old twins Cormac and Rafa.
He said last year that his kids ‘are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart’.
But now the fearless presenter has been talking about what happens after he's no longer here.
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Jonnie Irwin has not broken the news to his three children (Instagram/jonnieirwintv)On Friday’s Morning Live on BBC One, he said he finds it ‘amazing’ that he could speak to them after his death.
He plans to make the very most of modern technology - despite how difficult it will be.
“It's amazing to think I too could speak to my wife and children after I pass away," he said on the show.
"My diagnosis has taken a lot from me but it has given me the ability to prepare.
Jonnie was first diagnosed with cancer in 2020 (Instagram/jonnieirwintv)“The only way to make sure your digital legacy is as you like it, is to take control now," he added.
“I'm going to take every opportunity to do that for the people I love.”
The show included an interview with James Norris, the founder of MyWishes.
It allows people to create 'digital wills' by logging into each of their social media accounts to decide what will happen to their profiles.
He now wants to make the most of every day he's got left (instagram.com/jonnieirwintv)
Jonnie wants to leave his family some special videos (jonnieirwintv/Instagram)Jonnie was diagnosed in August 2020 after his vision went blurry while he was shooting the popular Channel 4 property show.
Judging by his comments just before Christmas, the children don't yet know.
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"When I'm more frail or in bed for days we might [tell them]," he told the Daily Mail.
"If you have 20 days left, why spend them in mourning and confusion? Why not just have 15 days of pure, blissful ignorance and five days of knowing the facts? I'm still not looking forward to the chat with Rex.
"We're still thinking about it. I've learned that it's the best thing to do nothing if you're unsure."
He was driving when he found his vision had become blurred and doctors discovered he was terminally ill (Instagram)He told Hello magazine that within a week of returning home in 2020, he was given the shattering news.
“I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much,” he said.
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“That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible."
Supporting her partner's decision to wait, Jess added: "You don't have to have that conversation. Why put yourself through it?"
The presenter said he chose to keep his illness private until this year as he did not want people to treat him differently and that he still needed to work.
After going public, Jonnie said he hoped that he could help others by sharing his experience ,offering up his tips on life insurance policies and how he is helping protect his young family for the future.