by Jonnie Irwin says he’s turned to strong painkillers and an electric bicycle to enable him to make the most of the country cycles in the time he has left.
The A Place in the Sun The star has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and has admitted he is struggling to sleep due to the pain, but was determined to enjoy a day’s cycling in the scenic Lake District.
Irwin shared on Instagram: “After a scorching night of pain I had a dose of PK and was able to enjoy the beautiful lakes via E-mtb. I’ll probably pay for it later but I’m grateful for the window, the company and the time. Only the second time I’ve rented a car, but I’m hooked! #thelakes”
The 49-year-old television presenter and father of three who is also known for hosting Escape to the countryside — he recently revealed to Hello magazine that he has terminal lung cancer that has spread to his brain and that doctors have given him six months to live.
Read more: Jonnie Irwin kept his cancer diagnosis a secret to continue working
Irwin revealed he was diagnosed in August 2020 after his vision became blurry while he was away filming Channel 4’s property show A Place in the Sun.
But he kept his diagnosis a secret for two years.
He told Good Morning Britain: ‘When people find out you have cancer… I know what I felt when I just heard the words, it’s just this terrifying thing, the word cancer. And I thought, if I feel like this, everybody others will feel this way and lo and behold, I’ve lost some work because of this.
“I wanted to keep it a secret because professionally I didn’t want to lose my job, but also socially and emotionally people treat you differently and people start making decisions for you.”
Chemotherapy and cancer drugs have helped prolong the initial prognosis and the TV presenter is determined to make the most of the time he has left with his wife Jess, 40, and their three children Rex, three- and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
The TV star said: ‘I don’t know how much time I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I’m living with cancer, not dying from it.’
Read more: A Place in the Sun’s Jonnie Irwin, 48, diagnosed with terminal cancer
She hopes talking about it can help inspire other people living with a terminal diagnosis “to make the most of every day” and hear “you can live a positive life, even if you’re dying.”
Watch: Jonnie Irwin reveals why he kept his cancer diagnosis a secret
