Jonnie Irwin shares sweet photos on special family trip amid cancer diagnosis
Jonnie Irwin has been hailed as a 'fantastic role model' after posting new photos with him family on a recent day trip amid his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The 49-year-old, best known for hosting A Place in the Sun for nearly 20 years, took to Instagram at the weekend to post the sweet update for his loyal fanbase. Jonnie and his wife Jessica Holmes, 41, treated their sons, Rex, 5, and three-year-old Cormac and Rafa, to a visit to the idyllic park of Jesmond Dean in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne on Sunday to round up the midterm break with some muddy cycling adventures.
"Apart from the constant peril of fearing one of the lads is gonna jump in or not hit the breaks in time we all got home without incident and probably as wet as if we had all gone in," he captioned the carousel, which included a series of snaps from their wholesome excursion at the woodland valley. "But Jesmond Dean is a special place to visit in any weather, home now for a lot fire to dry out," Jonnie added.
The autumnal update comes a few days after the Escape to the Country presenter revealed he'd been suffering from a chest infection, which he was treating with antibiotics, a session in a hyperbaric chamber and deep breathing in a salt room. The setback comes nearly a year after Jonnie revealed he had terminal lung cancer, after first being diagnosed with the devastating disease in 2020.
It didn't take long for Jonnie's post to be inundated with comments, many of which were hailing the travel enthusiast for his dedication to his family in the midst of such a difficult time.
Warning as popular food and drink ‘increase risk of cancer death by up to 30%’"You teach us all to live in the moment and make the most of every moment. Thank you," one grateful follower wrote. "You are just such a fantastic role model for us all," another admirer wrote. "I'm mentally at my rock bottom but watching you and your family carry on and with so much love and hope gratitude in your faces makes me feel like I’m pretty pathetic I admire your gratitude and attitude hopefully I will get as brave as you."
Speaking about his terminal cancer in June, Jonnie revealed he and Jessica had decided against telling their eldest son about his prognosis. "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."