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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zoe Delaney

Jonnie Irwin 'buries head in the sand' over telling his children he has terminal cancer

Jonnie Irwin has explained why he is yet to tell his three young children about his terminal cancer diagnosis.

The former A Place In The Sun presenter, 49, shared last year how he is unsure how long he has left to live, after being diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020, which has since spread to his brain.

Speaking alongside his wife Jessica Holmes, Jonnie explained in November how he is trying to stay positive as he lives with cancer and shared how he has set 'little markers' - things he wants to be around for.

The TV star and Jessica, 40, tied the knot in September 2016 and have since gone on to welcome three children into the world together - Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.

Speaking in a new interview, Jonnie confessed telling his three sons about his terminal diagnosis would 'confuse' them and hasn't yet shared the heartbreaking news with them.

The TV star is trying to focus on positive moments amid his heartbreaking diagnosis (@Jonnieirwintv/Instagram)

"I keep being asked, 'Are you going to tell them?' but tell them what?" Jonnie told HELLO! magazine.

"It would be horrible news that they'd have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he's got a shocking enough day coming. Let's bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible."

Over the years, the property expert has shared snippets of his and Jessica's blissful family life with their young children with his fans on Instagram.

Alongside snaps of the star filming TV projects, Jonnie's Instagram page is filled with adorable images of his beloved wife and his children enjoying holidays together and spending time together in their home located in the Hertfordshire town of Berkhamsted.

The Escape To The Country presenter decided to go public with the tragic news of his terminal diagnosis last year in order to get the "monkey off my back".

Jonnie was shooting a TV project in Italy when he first realised something might be wrong with his health. In August 2020 he had an episode of blurry vision whilst he was driving - with subsequent tests confirming the dad-of-three had developed lung cancer, which had spread to his brain.

Alongside going public with his diagnosis in November, Jonnie also encouraged others to take out life insurance.

"That has helped so much and when I leave this planet, I’ll do so knowing Jess and the boys are in a house that is fully paid off and there’s a bit of money in the bank for them to live off," Jonnie admitted in the first interview about his condition last year.

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