27 October 2023 , 18:17
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Jonnie Irwin has treated wife Jessica Holmes to a special lunch in celebration of her birthday, after suffering a chest infection amid his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The former A Place in the Sun presenter took to Instagram on Friday to share the sweet selfie, much to the delight of his loyal fanbase.
"Birthday lunch with my Favourite," he titled the photo, which shows Jess, 41, smiling outside a restaurant as she leans into her husband of seven years. Jonnie, 49, has tagged 'lobster ravioli' in the caption, suggesting that the couple enjoyed a particularly decadent meal in honour of the occasion.
(Instagram)
Jonnie was diagnosed with terminal cancer last year (Instagram)"You are looking so well just now....keep the pressure on that effing disease," one person wrote, while another sent their love from across the Irish Sea: "Looking fantastic!! Keep doing whatever you are doing. Love from Ireland."
Jonnie revealed in November 2022 that he had terminal lung cancer, two years after being diagnosed with the devastating disease. At the time, the property enthusiast said that his priority was to spend as much time as possible with his wife Jess and their three young sons, Rex, five, and three-year-old twins Cormac and Rafa.
Jonnie Irwin will record video messages for wife and kids to watch after he dies
Speaking about how he navigates his cancer journey as a father, Jonnie confirmed that he has not told his children about his terminal diagnosis. "I keep being asked, 'Are you going to tell them?' but tell them what?" he told Hello!. "It would be horrible news that they'd have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he's got a shocking enough day coming. Let's bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible."
Earlier this week, Jonnie revealed that he was treating his chest infection "from all sides" in the hope of finding some relief from the nasty illness. The travel enthusiast explained that he'd taken antibiotics,, spent two hours in a hyperbaric chamber and took a visit to a salt room for deep breathing.
Jonnie first became aware that he was unwell in August 2020 whilst filming A Place in the Sun in Italy. The former rugby player's vision went blurry while he was driving a week after production had wrapped, prompting him to seek medical attention. The test results found that not only had he lung cancer, but that it had spread to his brain, and he likely had about six months left to live.
"I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much," he recalled. "That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible."