Jonnie Irwin tragically lost his battle with lung cancer aged 50, his wife Jessica Holmes announced in a heartbreaking tribute on Friday.
Taking to Instagram, Jessica described her beloved partner, with whom she shares sons Rex, five, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac, as ‘truly remarkable’.
TV host Jonnie revealed in November his cancer had spread to his brain after first being diagnosed with the disease in 2020. He passed away on Friday.
Jonnie previously recalled how a change in his vision was the first symptom of his illness that he noticed.
The television presenter had been filming A Place In The Sun in Italy when he began to see ‘weird gold spots’ when he was driving.
Jonnie Irwin tragically lost his battle with lung cancer aged 50, his wife Jessica Holmes announced in a heartbreaking tribute on Friday
Jonnie previously recalled how a change in his vision was the first symptom of his illness that he noticed
A crew member with him in the car was concerned at the time and took him straight to hospital where he was told he had nodules around his brain.
Jonnie got a flight straight back to the U.K and went to hospital.
He said: ‘Within a few hours I got told I had cancer. And I was like “right”.
‘Then a few hours later, my good friend Rahul was sat with me when they said it is terminal cancer and I had six months to live.
‘Do you ever hear the phrase it knocked the wind out of you? Nothing had ever done that to me and that it did it.
‘I was just battered.’
The father-of-three walked home in a dazed state as he struggled to comprehend the diagnosis and the daunting prospect of telling wife Jessica.
‘I didn’t think I was shakable like that,’ Jonnie said through tears.
The TV host revealed in November his cancer had spread to his brain after first being diagnosed with the disease in 2020 (pictured with wife Jessica in 2023)
Taking to Instagram, Jessica described her beloved partner, with whom she shares sons Rex, five, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac, as ‘truly remarkable’
‘I was really shaken up. I had to go home and I had to tell my wife and that’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
‘How do you tell a woman who only two month before has had twins? How do you tell them that you’re not going to be there anymore?
‘I can remember it like it was yesterday. I’ve got no memory since I’ve had brain therapy but that b****y memory stays in my head and it is brutal.
‘All I can remember is hugging her and just saying sorry and I still feel sorry now.’
Jonnie had weeks of tests and bad news, but was given a two to three year lifeline when doctors found his cancer had a mutation.
Jonnie revealed the reason why he kept his battle with cancer a secret for two years was to ‘pay the bills’.
He said: ‘The only reason I kept it secret is because I’ve got to earn, I’ve got to feed my babies, pay the bills.
‘And as soon as you say you’ve got cancer, people just write you off.
Sharing a sweet snap of her and Jonnie to his account, the tribute read: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Jonnie’s passing
‘I had to live with it as a secret. It was really difficult living with such a massive cloud above me and pretending to everyone else.
‘For the first year and a half I could work. Unfortunately, one of the companies claimed they couldn’t insure and didn’t renew my contract. It left a massive hole in my income.
‘I felt like I’d been thrown on the scrapheap. They’d recruited within a week and then I could see some else doing my job.’
He told The Sun: ‘As soon as I told A Place in the Sun about my diagnosis they paid me for the rest of the season but didn’t renew my contract.
‘They knew I wanted to carry on. That hurt. That broke my heart.’
When approached for comment, Channel 4 said at the time ‘no stone was left unturned’ to find a way for Jonnie to stay but they could not get insurance.
The host said it was when he was hiding from photoshoots and taking selfies with fans that he decided to speak out about his terminal diagnosis.
He said: ‘The day came when I decided I’m going to tell the world and I just thought as well I might get some money for the family.
‘It’s been a massive weight off my shoulders. The day I came out and told the world I have terminal cancer is the day I started living again. I started being Jonnie Irwin again.
‘I actually feel alive.’
In a statement announcing his death, his wife Jessica said: ‘In Loving Memory. It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Jonnie’s passing.
‘A truly remarkable soul, he fought bravely against cancer with unwavering strength and courage. Jonnie touched the lives of so many with his kindness, warmth, and infectious spirit.
‘At this time, we kindly ask for the privacy of Jonnie’s family as they navigate through this profound loss. Their grief is immeasurable, and your thoughts, prayers, and support are deeply appreciated.
‘As we remember the beautiful moments shared with Jonnie, let us celebrate a life well-lived and a legacy that will forever be etched in our hearts.
‘Jonnie may be gone from our sight, but his love, laughter, and memories will live on.
‘Rest in peace, dear Jonnie. You will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.’
Jessica later took to her own account to share a snap of her late husband beaming and confessed to wishing this devastating day would never come.
She wrote: ‘Goodnight my favourite. Thank you for everything. I will always love you. The hardest day has come, a day I prayed wouldn’t come. It’s with all the the sadness in the world that I confirm Jonnie has passed away earlier today.
‘His magical brain that continued to fight to the end has now gone to sleep. He has given me more than I could ever have wished for, 8 bonkers years of love and adventure and 3 amazing boys’.
‘I will continue to make you proud but only with your love still finding me and guiding me for the rest of my life, me and the boys still need you. Jonnie you really were the most handsome man I ever knew and I am so sorry for this cruel end.’
‘It really wasn’t fair and you didn’t deserve any of this. You gave so much time to others and touched everyone you met, I have never experienced anything like the effect you had on people. I love you so much and forever proud of you xxx’.
From Lutterworth to Lanzarote: How former estate agent Jonnie Irwin’s TV career took off after he beat hundreds to present A Place in the Sun
TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has revealed he is suffering with terminal cancer, saying he hopes sharing his terminal cancer diagnosis will inspire others to ‘make the most of every day’
Born in 1973, Jonnie Irwin grew up in Bitteswell, Leicestershire, and attended Lutterworth Grammar School and Community College before becoming an estate agent.
In 2004, Irwin was selected from hundreds of applicants alongside co-presenter Jasmine Harman to present Channel 4’s show A Place In The Sun – Home Or Away. The property programme was a surprise hit and syndicated widely. Irwin also regularly presents the BBC’s Escape To The Country and To Buy Or Not To Buy.
In January 2011, Sky 1 broadcast Irwin’s own show called Dream Lives for Sale, in which he helped people leave their lives in the UK in order buy their dream business.
Later that year, he started a new series The Renovation Game which aired on weekday mornings on Channel 4.
Outside of presenting, he is also a commercial director for Judicare, which describes itself as a ‘specialist law firm providing clients with legal advice on all matters related to overseas property’.
Irwin married Jessica Holmes in September 2016. Together they have three sons and lived in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire before moving to Newcastle.
On November 13, Irwin was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He told Hello magazine: ‘I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.’