A Place In The Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin has spoken to his fans after announcing he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The father-of-three, 48, went public with his fight at the weekend, saying he "doesn't have long left" after lung cancer has spread to his brain.
Jonnie decided to go public with his heartbreaking battle after feeling like he was carrying a "dirty secret" for the past two years - after he received the diagnosis when he initially went for tests in 2020 over blurry vision while driving.
Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Jonnie said he needed a few days off social media to give himself some "headspace" and headed out into the country with his brother.
Sharing a trio of photos from the dog walk, the presenter said: "Overwhelmed by your kind messages, not had the chance to read them all yet but I assure you I will.
"Yesterday I needed some headspace so I escaped to the country with my brother-in-law and his dog. It was a tonic. Xx"
Jonnie's loyal followers soon took to the comment section to show their support.
One wrote: "Haven't stopped thinking of you and your lovely family since we heard your news. Stay strong, enjoy every minute with your family. Yes dogs are a real tonic".
Another fan added: "You're so brave haven't stopped thinking about you since I read your post. Sending you and your gorgeous family lots of love", while a third chimed: "Sending you all the love we have".
In an emotional interview alongside his wife Jessica, Jonnie went public with his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The father-of-three 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 told Hello! magazine : "I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I'm living with cancer, not dying from it. I set little markers – things I want to be around for.
"I got into the habit of saying: 'Don't plan ahead because I might not be well enough.' But now I want to make plans. I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart."
Jonnie is the proud dad to three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
In the interview, he revealed why he feels now is the time to go public with his diagnosis.
He said: "It’s got to the point now where it feels like I’m carrying a dirty secret, it’s become a monkey on my back. 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. I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family."
