Laura Hamilton has voiced her outrage after learning that scammers have been using Jonnie Irwin's name to deceive fans.
The adored A Place in the Sun presenter passed away on February 2 aged 51, following a terminal lung cancer diagnosis in 2022.
Irwin is survived by his wife, Jessica, and their three young children. During his career, he developed a devoted fan base who loved watching him on shows like Escape to the Country.
His co-star Hamilton, who presented A Place in the Sun with her late friend, has now revealed the shocking measures that con artists will take to exploit others for money.
The Channel 4 star recently ran the London Marathon in Irwin’s memory and in aid of the WellChild charity.
Speaking to The Sun, she shared: “I raised five and a half grand for them, but after I ran the marathon there were people saying, ‘Do you know there are people setting up scam pages saying, I’m still fundraising for the marathon’? and still trying to get donations.
“They weren’t legitimately for the charity and that just makes me feel sick that people were willing to do that when I was running.
“I had an official Just Giving page and then there are scammers that are sucking people in saying, ‘Oh yeah, we’re still trying to fundraise’ and that is so terrible.”
The 41-year-old presenter has faced online scammers previously, making a public appeal last year after fake accounts were created using her profile picture.
She shared at the time: “If you look at my Instagram page, it says this is my only page. It's just madness that people do this, and it's very frustrating.”
Following Irwin’s death earlier this year, Hamilton posted an emotional tribute to the star on social media alongside a black and white picture of him.
She wrote alongside the shot: “Without doubt one of the best… Funny, intelligent, kind hearted, one of a kind, Jonnie you will forever be missed.”
In the post, she added that she “heartbroken” to lose a member of their A Place in the Sun family and would “miss him terribly”, having worked together for 18 years.
