Jonnie Irwin has shared his fears that his young children won't remember him after revealing his terminally cancer diagnosis.
The former A Place In The Sun is riddled with concerns that his doting children, three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Cormac and Rafa, will have no memory of him as they grow up as the TV presenter opens up about battle with cancer.
The proud dad-of-three, 48, announced last week that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Jonnie revealed lung cancer has spread to his brain, with him having initially been given by doctors just six months to live.
He said the diagnosis came after experiencing blurred vision in 2020.
Jonnie and wife Jessica chose to keep the diagnosis private until recently, and has said he can't bear to tell his three-year-old who is poking fun at his hair loss as he doesn't want to 'shatter his innocence'.
Sharing his predictions for the future, Jonnie admitted that he feels it's likely that someone else will continue raising his kids 'after he's gone'.
“Every time something really nice happens with them, I have this thing knocking at my door, saying, ‘Don’t get too happy because you’re not going to be around much longer'. Then, I think they’re not going to remember me, they’re really not," the TV TV star heartbreakingly admitted.
“They’re too young and if I die this year there’s no chance they will have memories. And someone else is probably going to bring them up. I’ve done the hard yards with them and someone else will get the easy bit," Jonnie told The Sun.
While discussing the family's life since his diagnosis, Jonnie recently explained that his eldest child, Rex, in particular isn't aware of the diagnosis as he said: "He doesn't need to know yet."
"We make fun of my hair - he calls it my 'spiky head' - but as far as he's concerned, his dad is normal and why would I shatter that innocence," he told Hello! Magazine.
The proud dad said that at some point his cancer is going to 'catch up' with him but he is doing everything he can to 'hold that day off for as long as possible'.
Jonnie said he wants the family to do as much as possible together in the meantime, revealing that he is teaching Rex how to ride his bike and enjoying other activities together.
He said this includes going to the beach for a day and playing football and although he sometimes has to take a break due to feeling tired, he is still present.
Yes, it kills me when I have to sit down and watch someone else take over because I'm tired," he commented in the recent interview. He however added: "But I'm there."
Jonnie said he went public about his terminal cancer diagnosis in a bid to inspire people in similar circumstances to embrace every day of their own lives.
