Jonnie Irwin dead: A Place In The Sun presenter dies aged 50 after terminal cancer diagnosis

TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has died, his family has announced. Irwin, who presented Channel 4's A Place In The Sun was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2020.

In a statement, his family said: "It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Jonnie's passing. A truly remarkable soul, he fought bravely against cancer with unwavering strength and courage."

Irwin had said he had been given just ‘months to live’ following the diagnosis in 2020. He revealed that he first got the first warning sign when he was filming for A Place in the Sun for Channel 4 in Italy in August that year, as his vision went blurry while driving. Tests soon revealed that he had lung cancer which had spread to his brain.

Revealing his illness for the first time in 2022  in an exclusive interview with HELLO! magazine, Irwin, who also hosted the BBC’s Escape to the Country said he had been keeping his illness private but decided to make it public in a bid to get “the monkey off my back.”

He told the interview: “Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live. I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was pretty much on her own. That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.”

He also said cancer drugs and chemotherapy helped prolong his prognosis while he continued to work as much as possible. Throughout, only a very small group of friends and family knew about his diagnosis and he decided to open up "in the hope to inspire others".

Irwin leaves behind wife Jessica Holmes, 42, and three children - Rex, five, and four-year-old twins, Rafa and Cormac.