Jonnie Irwin has complimented the Escape To The Country team on his successful comeback.
The 49-year-old property expert had been absent from television for some time following his terminal cancer diagnosis, with a lung tumour spreading to his brain, but viewers were happy to see him return earlier this week.
Jonnie met retired couple Janet and Brian from Reading in the episode, which was filmed last autumn, and assisted them in finding their perfect house in Somerset.
He looked for several really opulent residences for the couple, some of which cost over £600,000 and had five bedrooms.
It has subsequently been revealed that one million people watched the episode, which won in its time slot, and Jonnie confessed it was ‘a lot of joy’ to work on the show.
Sharing a shot of himself with the crew on location, he wrote on Instagram: ‘Just been told about the overnight viewing figures from our show on Monday; 22% audience share, 1 million viewers and slot winner!
View this post on Instagram
‘Well done to all of our team on @escape_country and thanks to you so much for watching, I must admit we had a lot of fun filming this episode. #newbeginnings #countrylife #property #onlocation #rural #rurallife #autumn #onset #onsetlife’
His message was inundated with well wishes and sweet words from his admirers, who unanimously agreed that it was ‘wonderful’ to see him back on TV.
‘Great to see you back – and looking amazing! Keep going – everyone’s behind you! 💪🏼💪🏼,’ commented on fan, while another added: ‘Loved seeing you back on the box Jonnie. Such a natural and brill sense of humour.❤️’
One declared: ‘It’s all down to you, Jonnie.’
Jonnie’s comeback to television comes after he aired his “frustrations” after learning that his disease is “on the move.”
The father-of-three acknowledged to his followers that he’s been ‘very ill’ and ‘hasn’t been feeling well’ in recent weeks.
However, this hasn’t stopped him from enjoying significant milestones with his children, including a summer holiday with Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, two.
Upon returning home, there were more emotional moments in store, as Rex started primary school, and doting dad Jonnie shared the cutest snap of Rex in his uniform, writing in the caption that he is ‘so proud of him I could burst.’
Escape to the Country airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
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.
