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Jonnie Irwin vows to get to 50th birthday after doctors gave him days to live

Home> Entertainment> Celebrity> Celebrity News

Updated 11:13 11 Nov 2023 GMTPublished 11:09 11 Nov 2023 GMT

Jonnie Irwin vows to get to 50th birthday after doctors gave him days to live

The Channel 4 star broke the news of his terminal cancer diagnosis in November 2022

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

Escape to the Country fans were left heartbroken last year after the show's much-loved frontman Jonnie Irwin revealed he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Since then, the TV star and father-of-three - who was first diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2020, before it spread to his brain - has been bravely documenting his health journey on social media, sharing every major milestone with his fans.

He first broke the news of his heartbreaking terminal diagnosis back in November last year, being initially told by doctors that he wouldn't live to see his twins' third birthday party, which fell in July just gone.

In May, Jonnie was taken into St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle, where his health deteriorated dramatically despite the 'amazing care and lovely nurses'.

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"All the signs were there that it could be the end," he told the Sun.

Jonnie, wife Jess and their three children.
@jonnieirwin/Instagram

"One day, the oncologist, hospice doctors and a couple of nurses came in and started telling me to go home and spend time with my family.

"The penny didn’t drop at first."

He went on: "My ears only heard, ‘You’re going home’ because I was pretty out of it.

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"It was only later I thought, ‘They were telling me I’m done’."

But it's been almost five months since Jonnie celebrated his twin sons' big day, and he is determined to spend his last few months with his loved ones.

The Channel 4 star's own 50th birthday is fast approaching, and this week, Jonnie has opened up on his plan to travel to Spain to celebrate the major milestone.

Jonnie has shared details about his cancer treatment with fans.
@jonnieirwin/Instagram

Jonnie told press this week: "I never thought I’d be here. I’m really looking forward to some time with Jess and the boys."

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The star shares children Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, three - with his wife Jessica.

He said: "Lying in the hospice, I thought I’d had it. I was on the cusp of death.

"I’d never thought about dying, despite the cancer, and Jess and I don’t talk about it.

"But at my weakest point, I thought, ‘This is it, this is the beginning of the end’."

Jonnie and Jess just celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.
Instagram/@jonnieirwintv

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When Jonnie first broke the news of his diagnosis with fans last year, he told Hello! Magazine that he wasn't sure how long he'd have left, but said he'd 'try to stay positive' for his family.

"My attitude is that I'm living with cancer, not dying from it," he said at the time. "I set little markers – things I want to be around for [...] I'm doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible."

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@jonnieirwintv

Topics: Health, Cancer, Channel 4, TV and Film

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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