Jonnie Irwin has opened up about his decision not to tell his children about his cancer diagnosis.
In November, the A Place In The Sun presenter revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer which has spread to his brain.
The 49-year-old and his wife, Jessica Holmes, are parents to four-year-old son Rex, and twin boys Rafa and Cormac, who are about to turn three.
In a new interview with Hello! magazine to coincide with Father’s Day, Jonnie spoke about how he keeps being asked if he will tell his boys of his illness.
“But tell them what?” Jonnie said. “It would be horrible news that they’d have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he’s got a shocking enough day coming.
“Let’s bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible.”
Jessica also told the magazine her children are aware that “Jonnie needs his rest and can’t always jump up and play football for hours”.
“They’re more than happy snuggled up on the sofa, watching a movie,” she said. “Story time is a big thing at bedtime and that is something I know Jonnie treasures with them.”
TV host Jonnie previously said he received the first warning sign of his illness while he was filming A Place In The Sun in Italy in August 2020, when his vision became blurry while driving.
Since going public with his diagnosis, Jonnie has been documenting his experience of living with cancer, and last week told followers that he was back in hospital so medics could monitor a change in his pain management regime.
Read the full interview with Jonnie in this week’s Hello magazine, on sale now.