A Place in The Sun star Jonnie Irwin says he made one mistake following terminal cancer diagnosis
A Place in the Sun star Jonnie Irwin has revealed the one mistake he made following his terminal cancer diagnosis.
The presenter, now 49, was given just six months to live back in 2020 after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer that had spread.
Now, after revealing his illness last month, the dad - who has two young children - has explained that he wishes he'd done things differently with his life insurance.
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He said on Morning Live on Thursday (15 December): "So when you get a terminal diagnosis, it covers you for when you're gone.
"But a terminal diagnosis can go on for years and it will affect... your illness affects your work, so if you're unable to work and you're waiting for this payout, who is going to pay the rent?"
"So critical illness is a policy you take alongside that and that kicks in as soon as you're ill."
The presenter went on to explain that he, unfortunately, made the mistake of not taking this cover, which meant he forced himself to work when he should have been resting.
"I didn't take that and that took a lot of a lot of pressure on having to work on days when I didn't want to go to work, and that's one mistake I say to everyone," Irwin admitted.
He said that he was angry at how he was treated by producers following his diagnosis, claiming that they are quick to 'write you off' when they discover a person has a serious illness.
As he has two children under four - Rex, aged three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac - he said he wanted to be able to provide for them as long as possible.
Irwin, who married his wife Jessica Holmes in September 2016, said: "As soon as people find out you've got cancer they write you off. Yes, I have stage four and it's terminal - but not yet, so let me live my life while I can.
"Yes, I'm a family man and I need to put a roof over our heads and food on the table but work is something that’s really important to me. It also stops me thinking about cancer."
The presenter said that he is not planning to tell his young children about his devastating diagnosis because they are too young.
But when he told producers at A Place in the Sun, they decided against renewing his contract.
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. I feel hugely let down. I can’t even watch the show now."
LADbible has reached out to A Place in the Sun for comment.
Emma Guinness