Jonnie Irwin has revealed the symptoms he first experienced which led to a diagnosis of terminal cancer.
The television presenter has lung cancer which has spread to his brain and was previously keeping his health problems a secret from the public.
Speaking on his condition for the first time to Hello! magazine, the Escape to the Country host decided to go public to "get the monkey off my back." In the emotional interview, Irwin revealed that he first noticed something was off back in 2020 in Italy when filming A Place in the Sun.
All was well until his vision went blurry while driving, which he got checked out upon his return to the UK. A mere one week after coming home, Jonnie was told that he had just months to live after undergoing tests.
"Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live," he recalled.
"I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible."
Jonnie shares three children with his 40 year-old wife Jessica - son Rex, three and twins Rafa and Cormac, two.
Prior to this, Irwin only shared his diagnosis with close friends and family and this made him feel like he was "carrying a dirty secret". Medication and chemotherapy has helped prolong his life expectancy and he hopes his story can provide inspiration for others.
"One day, this is going to catch up with me," he adds. "But I'm doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible.
"I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
