A Place In The Sun's Jonnie Irwin 'dosed up' on painkillers to enjoy bike ride amid cancer battle
Jonnie Irwin says he turned to strong painkillers and an electric bike to allow him to make the most of countryside cycles in the time he has left.
The A Place In The Sun star has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and admitted he is struggling to sleep due to pain, but was determined to enjoy a day cycling in the scenic Lake District.
Irwin shared on Instagram: "After a torrid night in pain I dosed up on PK’s and was able to enjoy the beautiful Lakes via E-mtb. I’ll probably pay for it later but grateful for the window, the company and the weather. Only my second time hired one machines but I’m hooked! #thelakes "
The 49-year-old TV presenter and father-of-three — also known for hosting Escape To The Country — recently revealed to Hello magazine he has terminal lung cancer which has spread to his brain, and was given six months to live by doctors.
Read more: Jonnie Irwin kept cancer diagnosis a secret to keep working
Irwin revealed he was diagnosed in August 2020 after his vision went blurry while away filming Channel 4 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 got 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 that, everybody else will feel like that and lo and behold I lost some work through it.
"I wanted to keep it secret because professionally I didn't want to lose work but also socially and emotionally people treat you differently and people start making decisions for you."
Chemotherapy and cancer drugs have helped extend the initial prognosis and the TV presenter is determined to make the most of any time he has left with wife Jess, 40, and their three sons Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.
The TV star said: "I don’t know how long 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
He hopes by speaking out he might help inspire other people living with a terminal diagnosis "to make the most of every day" and feel "you can live a positive life, even though you are dying."
Watch: Jonnie Irwin reveals why he kept cancer diagnosis a secret
