Jonnie Irwin explains why he hasn’t told sons about his terminal cancer: ‘Let’s bury our heads in the sand’
Jonnie Irwin has opened up about why he hasn’t told his three children that he has terminal cancer. The A Place in the Sun presenter, 49, publicly revealed his diagnosis in November 2022 after his lung cancer spread to his brain. However, his young sons, who he shares with wife Jessica Holmes, do not know that their father is dying. Irwin says it would be difficult for them to understand his situation at this age: his eldest son Rex is four-and-a-half, while twins Rafa and Cormac are turning three this month. In a new interview with Hello! magazine ahead of Father’s Day, Irwin said: “I keep being asked, ‘Are you going to tell them?’ but tell them what? “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.” In the meantime, Irwin and Holmes are trying to give their children a sense of normalcy by continuing to teach and play with them. Holmes described the presenter as a “great dad and a big kid himself”, adding: “All the boys gravitate to him when they want to show off and get his attention. They’re aware that Jonnie needs his rest and can’t always jump up and play football for hours, but they’re more than happy snuggled up on the sofa, watching a movie. “Story time is a big thing at bedtime and that is something I know Jonnie treasures with them.” In November, when Irwin first revealed his diagnosis, he said Rex “doesn’t need to know” about his illness yet. “We make fun of my hair – he calls it my ‘spiky head’ – but as far as he’s concerned, his dad is normal and why would I shatter that innocence?” Earlier this month, Irwin was admitted to hospital to be “monitored” as his treatment continues. He shared in an Instagram post that he was admitted to keep an eye on a “changeover in my pain management regime”. In an appearance on the OneChat podcast by insurer AIG Life, Irwin said he had been close to dying “at least twice”. “You lose your memory, you lose your patience. I have got a very short temper. It’s not made me a better person, that’s for sure,” he admitted. However, Irwin emphasised that he prefers to think of his situation as “living with cancer, rather than dying from cancer”. Read More A Place In The Sun’s Jonnie Irwin admitted to hospital amid terminal diagnosis Jonnie Irwin says he’s been ‘close to death’s door twice, at least’ Jonnie Irwin says going public with terminal cancer diagnosis was day he began ‘living again’
2023-06-12 14:49
Get Prime Day discounts on these American Tourister luggage sets
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AI voice replicas are getting out of hand — that's why lawmakers are pushing the 'No Fakes' Act
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2023-10-14 02:29
Huge mass in Lisbon ahead of pope's arrival for 'Catholic Woodstock'
A sea of flag-waving pilgrims from around the world packed a Lisbon park on Tuesday for an open-air Mass that kicked off a week-long jamboree of Catholic youth on the...
2023-08-02 08:15
The Financial Toll Of Fan Culture — Do You Have To Be Rich To Be A Fan Today?
When I was 16 years old I was lucky enough to see Taylor Swift live for the first time. My sister and I pooled all our resources — birthday card cash, babysitting tips, pocket money — to splurge on Speak Now tour tickets at my closest venue, London’s O2 Arena in the UK. Along with our mom (our chaperone) and a friend, we took our places in the back row and clung onto the near vertical seats to sing, scream, jump, and cry, all at the same time. We wore the very best from our existing wardrobes and took barely any pictures. The only evidence from the then Best Night Of My Life is a grainy, disposable photo that my mom made us take outside the arena “for posterity’s sake.” I’m clutching my simple but lovingly made poster and smiling awkwardly — I was far too teenage and far too uncomfortable in my own skin to want to pose. Neither I nor my family can remember how much we paid but the internet tells me tickets started at $37 and there’s no way, despite our combined piggy banks, that we would have been able to break $60 two times over. Not to mention the cost of our train tickets to and from London, which we would also have been expected to cover.
2023-08-02 22:54
These museums showcase the future, not the past
Museums are increasingly embracing technology, featuring everything from flying metallic penguins, to robotic tins of Spam.
2023-05-23 16:45
Charles Leclerc lights up Las Vegas to claim pole position for Ferrari
Charles Leclerc danced his way to pole position with an emphatic performance for Ferrari under the Las Vegas lights. At just after 1am local time – the latest conclusion to a qualifying session in Formula One history – Leclerc finished just 0.044 seconds clear of team-mate Carlos Sainz. However, Sainz will start down in 12th after a loose drain cover destroyed his Ferrari in practice and triggered a 10-place grid penalty. Triple world champion Max Verstappen, a winner in 17 of the 20 rounds so far, took third spot for Red Bull, but will move up to second following Sainz’s demotion. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, leaving him only 10th on the grid. Hamilton finished half-a-second behind team-mate George Russell, who hauled his Mercedes into Q3 before taking advantage of Sainz’s penalty to secure third on the grid for Saturday’s 50-lap race. Following the shambolic start to F1’s Sin City comeback here on Thursday night, qualifying passed off without significant incident – much to the relief of the sport’s under-fire bosses. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stopped short of issuing an apology to the furious spectators, who saw just eight minutes of practice before they were ejected from the stands. However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the estimated 90,000 fans who filled the 3.8-mile street venue – 30,000 down on capacity – were treated to an uninterrupted session which saw Leclerc romp to top spot in his scarlet machine. “I am happy,” said Leclerc. “To have first place in Las Vegas is great. “I was a bit disappointed because my lap was not great but it was all we needed. In the race we usually lack pace but hopefully we can put it all together in the race.” Against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels, Ferrari delivered, but it was another underwhelming showing for Hamilton. A fortnight after the seven-time world champion finished eighth in Brazil – 63 seconds behind winner Verstappen – he struggled for pace in his underperforming Mercedes. “Couldn’t go faster, mate,” said Hamilton following his elimination. Behind Hamilton, Sergio Perez qualified one place back. Lando Norris arrived in Nevada as the grid’s in-form driver after scoring more points across the last three rounds than anyone else. But the British driver failed to make it out of Q2 with his McLaren machinery not suited to the three long straights here coupled with slow corners. He qualified only 16th, three places ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who also fell at the first hurdle. “Very disappointed,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1. “Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying times and results in Sin City Verstappen calls Ocon a ‘stupid idiot’ in F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying tussle
2023-11-18 17:51
It's Black Manta vs. Atlantis in 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' trailer
A lot has changed since we last saw Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Not
2023-09-15 01:20
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and lap times as Daniel Ricciardo returns
The Formula 1 paddock returns to Budapest this weekend for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the popular Hungaroring circuit. Max Verstappen is looking for a seventh grand prix victory in a row at a track where he won last year from 10th on the grid. The Dutchman is cruising to a third world championship this season, currently holding a 99-point to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez in second. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Daniel Ricciardo is back – and this time he wants to go out on top Yet the biggest talking point this weekend is Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the grid with AlphaTauri. The Australian, dropped by McLaren last year, replaces Nyck de Vries for the remainder of this season and starts at a track where he claimed his second F1 victory in 2014. Lando Norris will be hoping to back up his strong performance for McLaren at Silverstone two weeks ago, a race where Lewis Hamilton finished third for Mercedes. Hamilton is an eight-time winner in Hungary. Follow live updates from the Hungarian GP with The Independent Read More Lewis Hamilton reacts to Nyck de Vries axing: ‘That’s how Red Bull work’ Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Nyck de Vries breaks silence after AlphaTauri exit
2023-07-21 17:24
A lifetime subscription to this premium stock screener is on sale for 86% off
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How to watch the 2023 European Open online for free
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2023-10-11 12:46
Quest to Extract Protein From Air Gets Boost From Crop Trader ADM in R&D Deal
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