Escape to the Country viewers in tears at 'perfect' tribute to Jonnie Irwin

05 February 2024 , 15:52

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Escape to the Country viewers in tears at 'perfect' tribute to Jonnie Irwin

Jonnie Irwin's former TV show Escape to the Country paid an emotional tribute to the presenter following his tragic death.

The dad-of-three worked on the BBC property hunting show, alongside Channel 4's A Place In The Sun. He sadly died on Friday aged 50 following a terminal lung cancer diagnosis. His beloved wife Jess paid a heartbreaking tribute to her late husband as she shared the sad news. She said: "A truly remarkable soul, he fought bravely against cancer with unwavering strength and courage. Jonnie touched the lives of so many with his kindness, warmth, and infectious spirit."

Jess asked for privacy for Jonnie's family and added: "Jonnie may be gone from our sight, but his love, laughter, and memories will live on. Rest in peace, dear Jonnie. You will be dearly missed, but never forgotten." Escape to the Country have since paid their own tribute to the presenter.

The BBC show was aired in tribute to Jonnie (BBC)

On Monday's episode of the show, it was a special programme presented and recorded by Jonnie before his death. At the start of the show the voice narrator said: "We are heading to the Repair Shop in 45 minutes, but first a change to the billed Escape as we pay tribute to the late Jonnie Irwin here on BBC One." During the episode, Jonnie helped couple Janet and Brian find a home in Somerset.

Viewers took to social media during the episode as one said: "Going to be a sad watch but a nice tribute. I hope one day a cure is found for cancer so we don’t have to say goodbye too earlier R.I.P." Another added: "Lovely tribute to Jonnie Irwin." Someone else commented: "Nice touch BBC rescheduling #escapetothecountry with one featuring Jonnie Irwin." A fourth wrote: "Jonnie Irwin was so good at what he did. As well as being informative he had a great sense of humour. Such a sad loss."

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At the end of the episode, a montage of Jonnie's moments from the show over the years was played. Last week, A Place In The Sun paid tribute to Jonnie by sharing a black and white photo of the star. They said: "We are heartbroken. Jonnie was a much-loved part of the A Place In The Sun family for more than 18 years - he brought joy, wit and bundles of energy to the show. We will miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with Jess and the boys and the rest of the family."

Jonnie shared his lung cancer diagnosis to fans in November 2022, where he heartbreakingly admitted that he 'didn't know how long' he had left to live. He decided to go public with the news to "get the monkey off my back" and revealed he was actually filming in Italy when he first realised something might be wrong.

In August 2020 he had an episode of blurry vision whilst he was driving - with subsequent tests confirming he had developed lung cancer, which had spread to his brain. He was initially told he would have just six months to live. Jonnie leaves behind his wife Jessica, whom he married in September 2016, and their three young children; Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.

Jonnie leaves behind his wife Jessica and their three young boys (@Jonnieirwintv/Instagram)

Jessica paid a further heartbreaking tribute to her beloved husband on social media. She wrote: "Good night my favourite. Thank you for everything. I will always love you. The hardest day has come, a day I prayed wouldn’t come. It’s with all the the saddness in the world that I confirm Jonnie has passed away earlier today. His magical brain that continued to fight to the end has now gone to sleep.

"He has given me more than I could ever have wished for, 8 bonkers years of love and adventure and 3 amazing boys. I will continue to make you proud but only with your love still finding me and guiding me for the rest of my life, me and the boys still need you. Jonnie you really were the most handsome man I ever knew and I am so sorry for this cruel end. It really wasn’t fair and you didn’t deserve any of this. You gave so much time to others and touched everyone you met, I have never experienced anything like the effect you had on people. I love you so much and forever proud of you xxx"

The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.

Mia O'Hare