In the midst of his terminal cancer diagnosis, Jonnie Irwin celebrated an emotional final milestone with his little son.
The A Place In The Sun singer was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020, but revealed in November last year that the illness had moved to his brain.
Despite being warned that he may only have months to live and lately admitting that he feels ‘a lot weaker,’ the 49-year-old is living his life to the fullest, both at work and with his family.
On Monday, he tweeted a heartfelt ‘last ever’ as he dropped his four-year-old son Rex off at nursery.
He and his wife, Jessica Holmes, also have two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
‘Last EVER ride to nursery with Rex. Suitably waved off by Rafa and his spade and Rex with his game face on!’ the doting dad captioned his post.
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Jonnie commemorated the event with a trio of images from the moment, which showed Rex on his small bike, decked out in a nice Batman helmet and riding gloves, with his dad behind him on his, as they posed for a picture in the driveway.
Rafa was also present, with his yellow shovel in the foreground.
The TV personality then tweeted another photo of Rex in the middle of his trip to nursery, as well as a selfie of them both during a stop in their journey, with Jonnie dressed in a blue neck scarf, dark green jacket, and baseball cap.
As usual, his supporters praised Jonnie for his resilience in the face of hardship.
‘Jonnie you are truly inspiring,’ posted one, while someone else added: ‘Johnny [sic], you’re a credit and an inspiration.’
‘Lovely photos Jonnie. Your boys will remember these moments forever. Sending love and best wishes ❤️❤️❤️,’ shared a third.
The father-of-three was recently praised for working despite his illness.
He recently recounted a task he did with a firm called Mayfair Worktops in which he visited a couple to discuss house modifications they’d undertaken.
In a post shared on Instagram with a clip of his meeting with the couple, Jonnie wrote in the caption: ‘If you’re not happy with the worktop choice offered by the developer you can source one yourself- that’s what this couple did so I went to have a nose!…’
Mayfair Worktops confirmed in a post that Jonnie was ‘back’, before adding ‘not that he ever really went away’.
Sharing more details on their collaboration, the company wrote: ‘In the first part of our much-reported film, Jonnie meets home owners Howard and Jade, who tell us exactly why they decided to replace existing, brand new worktops with our beautiful Grey Starlight Quartz.’
In the comments section beneath Jonnie’s article, he earned tremendous admiration for the manner he continues to work despite his personal difficulties.
‘Wow what an amazing man, trying your best to give your family everything you can ❤️,’ one person wrote, referencing his wife and three young children.
‘Great to see you working, you are my favourite presenter on Escape to the Country. I am so sorry for everything that you’re going through. You are a fantastic family man and such an inspiration to us all. Love you Jonnie ❤️,’ another said.
He’s also been spending more time with his family, including a recent day out with his boys.
‘Front seat on the Metro riding with uncle @stuart.j.kane’, he captioned the pic, with his sons wide-eyed and open-mouthed with joy next to him.
Jonnie, who was dressed in a sweatshirt and waterproof coat with a hat on his head, also smiled as he shot the photo.
Later, he updated his condition in the comments section.
‘Felling ok is the new feeling great! Make the most! X’, he proclaimed.
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His fans then raced to the comments section to express their gratitude.
‘Love this pic mate! I’ve said before your strength is astounding mate’, one person complimented.
‘Great to see you getting out and about. ❤️, another added.
Jonnie’s three children are not aware of his terminal disease because he does not want to ‘confuse’ them.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
