Former A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin has opened up about his terminal cancer diagnosis, six months after going public with his illness.
The 49-year-old revealed in November 2022 that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer two years previously and was given six months to live. The Channel 4 star decided it was time to share his diagnosis in order to encourage others to "make the most of every day".
Speaking to the OneChat podcast, Jonnie said he initially kept his diagnosis secret as he "had to pay the bills". However, in the candid interview, the dad-of-three also claimed he had been "thrown on the scrap heap" after revealing his illness.
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Speaking on the OneChat podcast, he said: "As soon as you say you’ve got cancer, people just write you off, people just think you are going to cark it.
“Unfortunately, one of the companies claimed they couldn’t insure me and so they didn’t renew my contract and left a massive hole in my income.
"I felt like I’d been thrown on a scrap heap. They recruited within a week and then I saw someone else doing my job.”
Last year, a spokesperson for Freeform Productions said: "Jonnie has been a hugely important part of the A Place in The Sun family for over 18 years and all of us were deeply saddened by his diagnosis.
"Much loved by everyone on the production, no stone was left unturned in trying to enable Jonnie to continue his international filming with us during Covid but the production company were unable to secure adequate insurance cover for him."
They added: "Whilst we were unable to continue to film abroad with him, we're delighted that he was able to remain as part of our team in the UK for exhibitions.
"We of course understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time."
In March, Jonnie made a one-off special appearance as he returned to work on A Place in the Sun. The presenters of the Channel 4 property show were on tour this weekend as they travelled to Manchester to work on A Place in the Sun Live.
Jonnie shared an image of himself and co-host Jasmine Harman on stage at the property exhibition to his Instagram account.
However, the star was quick to clarify he would not be returning to the Channel 4 show.
Taking to Instagram he said: "Last week I got to team up with my mate again at @aplaceinthesunofficial Live. It was the busiest for years but, for some reason, the papers are talking about it as a comeback for me.
"Just to confirm @aplaceinthesunofficial is a separate company running the website and affiliated business and has supported me continuously though-out which I’m eternally grateful for. Here’s looking forward to the next one!"
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