Jonnie Irwin vows to get to 50th birthday after doctors gave him days to live
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.
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In May, Jonnie was taken into St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle, where his health deteriorated dramatically despite the 'amazing care and lovely nurses'.
"All the signs were there that it could be the end," he told the Sun.
"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.
"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 told press this week: "I never thought I’d be here. I’m really looking forward to some time with Jess and the boys."
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’."
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."
Topics: Health, Cancer, Channel 4, TV and Film
Rhianna Benson