Terminally ill Jonnie Irwin has revealed he has already purchased his three sons their gifts for their 18th birthday's so they will remember him on the milestone day.
The former A Place In The Sun presenter, 49, shares children Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica Holmes, who he married in September 2016.
The dad-of-three, who recently revealed he is yet to tell his three young sons about his cancer, announced last year that he is unsure how long he has left to live, after lung cancer spread to his brain.
Faced with not knowing how long he has left with his beloved wife and three sons, Jonnie has been planning ahead 'for the days he won't be there' for Rex, Rafa, and Cormac, and has already purchased three very special gifts to be handed over to them when they each celebrate their milestone birthdays.
Speaking in a new interview, Jonnie updated fans on his cancer battle and shared his heartbreak in knowing that he won't be around to see his three young sons grow up - and what pains Jonnie the most is the thought that his three children won't remember him.
"It pains me to think the twins probably won't remember me. You hear people say: 'I don't remember my dad. He died when I was so young'. I think about that and it breaks my heart because that's what I'm destined to be, really - a footnote in their life," Jonnie told HELLO! Magazine.
"So I try to monuments of my love for them."
One of the monuments that Jonnie has set up for his boys is the home he bought 18-months ago when he and Jessica moved their family from Hertfordshire to Newcastle so they could be nearer to Jessica's family and Jonnie's battle with cancer.
Jonnie bought the house outright to ensure that his family would not have to pay a mortgage or have to worry about repaying anything to the banks, and the dad-of-three hopes to make it a 'cool' and 'loving' place for this three boys to grow up with their mum and near their mum's family.
Discussing his death, the dad-of-three added: "It can happen at any time. I’m here to stop it for as long as possible."
Jonnie decided to go public with the heartbreaking news of his terminal diagnosis last year in order to get the 'monkey off my back'.
The presenter was filming a TV project in Italy when he first realised something might be wrong with his health. In August 2020 he had an incident of blurry vision whilst he was driving - with tests later confirming the dad-of-three had developed lung cancer, which had spread to his brain.
Speaking in his latest interview, the doting dad admitted telling his three sons about his terminal diagnosis would 'confuse' them and hasn't yet shared the awful news with them.
Ahead of Father's Day this weekend, Jonnie took to his Instagram page to share an adorable snap of himself and his three young children.
"'Father’s Day means even more to me this year. Full shoot in Hello! magazine, link in bio for my interview and video' #fathersday," the TV star captioned the moving image.
A Place In The Sun presenter Jasmine Harman was one of the first to comment on Jonnie's post, writing: "Cheeky rascals! All four of you. Honestly, this photo has got me… I’m not crying, just got something in my eye. Love you all xxx."
One of Jonnie's fans added: "Make lovely memories for your wife and children to look back on , keep making goals , that's what my dad did."
For information or support about cancer, you can contact Macmillan Cancer Support or you can call 020 7940 1760 for advice.
