Jonnie Irwin has shared why he kept he cancer diagnosis a secret and what made him share the truth during his first TV interview since revealing his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The presenter, who is known for hosting Channel 4's A Place In The Sun and the BBC's Escape To The Country, shared the devastating news last week, saying he had chosen to keep his illness private until now and hopes sharing it will inspire others to "make the most of every day."
Jonnie, who shares three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica, revealed his lung cancer had spread to his brain, telling Hello magazine: "I don’t know how long I have left." He revealed the first warning sign of his illness came while he was filming A Place In The Sun in August 2020 in Italy, when his vision became blurry while driving.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (November 24), Jonnie told hosts Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard shared how he is yet to tell his young children that he is ill. "It's only recently that I've considered when we're going to tell them because the twins are two and a half years old and Rex is four at Christmas. They're so young.
"But at the moment I'm me, [a] thinner version, and I don't think there's any need to tell them." He added: "And I think it'll be a lot for them to get their heads round so for now, let the good times roll for as long as possible."
Speaking on why he wanted to keep his diagnosis private, Jonnie said: "I was in fear of what's happened to some extent. When people find out you've got cancer, I know what I felt when I heard the words, it's just this terrifying thing and I thought if I feel like that, other people will feel like that and I've lost some work through it."
In an earlier interview with The Sun, Jonnie has claimed he was paid off when diagnosed mid-series on A Place In The Sun and his contract was not renewed. But a statement from Channel 4 and production company Freeform said: “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.
"We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time." Continuing on GMB, the 49-year-old said: "I wanted to keep it a secret because professionally, I didn't want to lose work and also socially and emotionally, people treat you differently and people start making decisions for you... So if I withheld that information, I felt I could live a normal life right up until a year ago."
When Ben suggested that hiding his ill health had become "unattainable", Jonnie replied: "Yeah, there were certain busybodies on social media saying 'you don't look well', 'you look ill', 'you should see a doctor'." He then recalled an in-person encounter he had in which he was told he 'looked too skinny'.
"I had someone come up to me after A Place In The Sun live exhibition and say, 'My wife says you look too skinny', and I was like, 'you're not, are you?' and he couldn't believe I was biting back but what do people expect to gain from it."
Following his appearance on GMB, Jonnie was praised by viewers. @SherriffStone tweeted: "Thoughts go out to Jonnie Irwin and his young family. Stay strong, savour every second with your family #GMB." @sharonh40971181 said: "Jonnie Irwin is the reason I watch #PlaceintheSun what a wonderful attitude his family should be so proud of him sending strength to his family #gmb."
@RADTV1 commented: "#GMB Jonnie is such an inspiration for others who have cancer. What a wonderful guy." @SallyPrice4 posted: "God Love Jonnie Irwin...beautiful brave man. Well and truly saluted Xx #GMB." @theo_samuels added: "Jonnie Irwin. He's a real one. I hope he has a great Christmas with his family. He spoke so eloquently. I hate cancer. I've even lost family members to cancer. I hope that one day soon cancer no longer exists and we beat it. #GMB."
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