A Place in the Sun star Jonnie Irwin explains why he didn’t tell his sons he was terminally ill
‘A Place in the Sun’ star Jonnie Irwin has shared his dying wish for his three young sons as he battles terminal cancer.
The 49-year-old TV presenter told HELLO! that he has yet to tell his sons Rex, four and a half, and twins Rafa and Cormac, almost three, about his terminal diagnosis.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Jonnie Irwin’s heartbreaking interview.
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Instead, the Escape to the Country favorite said he wants to focus on making memories with his kids and spending as much time with them as possible.
“I keep getting asked, ‘Are you going to tell them?’ but tell them what?” he said.
“It would be terrible news that they would have to change their minds.
“And it would confuse Rex deeply – he has quite a shocking day ahead of him.
“Let’s bury our heads in the sand for as long as we can.”
Irwin said he hopes his children will grow up confident and agile.
“I had a difficult upbringing and still managed to achieve a lot in my life, but I don’t want them to have difficulties,” he said.
“I want them to have the confidence of a schoolboy but also be smart boys.
“They are happy children, they laugh and are a lot of fun to be with.”
He added that Rex is now old enough to understand some of the advice he was about to give.
“I started telling Rex in private conversations, ‘You can do anything,'” Irwin revealed.
“He’s smart, talented and comes home from kindergarten with more French than I do.”
In 2020, Irwin was diagnosed with end-stage lung cancer, which has since spread to his brain.
The popular English presenter only made the news public at the end of last year.
Irwin recently shared on Instagram with his followers that he was in the hospital to oversee a change in his pain management regimen.
Fans and followers wished him well as he continued his battle with cancer.
“Thinking of you and your family and hoping you get the results you want. Lots of love,” wrote one fan.
“Keep fighting young man,” wrote another.
Irwin recently gave a raw and unflinching interview on the subject A chat with Podcast in which he recalled wondering how to tell his wife Jess after being told his cancer was terminal.
“I had to go home and I had to tell my wife. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said.
“How do you tell a woman who just had twins two months ago?
“How do you tell them you won’t be there anymore?”
He said he remembers the conversation like it was yesterday.
“That memory sticks in my head and it was brutal,” he said.
“All I can remember is hugging her and saying ‘sorry.'”
Speaking to HELLO, Jess Irwin said her husband is “a great dad — and a great kid himself.”
“All guys are attracted to him when they want to show off and get his attention,” she said.
“They are aware that Jonnie needs his rest and can’t always jump up and play football for hours, but they are more than happy to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie.
“Storytelling is a big part of bedtime, and I know Jonnie appreciates that.”
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