A Place in the Sun’s Jonnie Irwin shares sweet festive family snaps amid terminal cancer battle
A Place in the Sun’s Jonnie Irwin posted sweet photos of his family getting in the festive spirit on Thursday, as he continues to battle terminal cancer.
The 49-year-old publicly revealed last month that his stage four lung cancer, which was diagnosed in August 2020, has now spread to his brain.
Irwin is moving forward with Christmas plans, following the devastating update, and was seen in the series of pictures he shared on Instagram in happy spirits whilst venturing out with his wife Jess and their three-year-old son Rex.
He captioned: “Ok, I’ve given in, Christmas is here! [Nothing to do with] the mince pies and mulled wine on offer at all! Merry Christmas! X”
In one photo, Irwin could be seen crouched down beside son Rex and wife Jess in a shed, with reindeer hung on the walls, and in a second, the family trio were seen tucking into a meal with hot cocoa and mulled wine, underneath a wreath.
Rex even got to chat to Santa in another snap, and the final photo showed Irwin with his loved ones outside, surrounded by snow-covered Christmas trees in a magical festive setting.
Irwin’s touching post comes after he admitted that Christmas will be difficult, following his tragic prognosis.
Last month, he told The Sun: “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Christmas will be tricky. I’m not saying this will be my last one because I don’t know for certain.
“I want to be here as long as I can but it could be. And I want to enjoy it and just spend time with Jess and the kids.”
Irwin gushed about his wife, as he said they have the “perfect partnership”. The pair met in 2016 and married less than year later. They share three children.
He continued: “I asked Jess to marry me because not only is she very pretty but classically so, but she was fun. That’s not to say anyone else I’ve dated wasn’t fun, but she was just on my wavelength.
“She has a great spirit of adventure and we didn’t have one argument until the kids came along, and all parents fall out, don’t they?”
Irwin added that he’s been “showered with love” since opening up about his battle with cancer.
He said: “I’ve had messages from people all over the world, wishing me well. Thousands of people have left me heart-warming comments on Instagram and I promise I will try to read them all.
“They range from practical, scientific advice to ones from very religious people.
“I had no idea how much people really liked what I did and I know that now.”
