Jonnie Irwin has congratulated the Escape To The Country team after his return pulled in a massive audience.
The 49-year-old property expert has been away from TV for a while after his terminal cancer diagnosis, with a tumour in his lung spreading to his brain, but viewers were delighted to see him back on screen earlier this week.
Filmed last autumn, in the episode Jonnie met retired couple Janet and Brian from Reading and helped them to find their dream home in Somerset.
He sought out some very lavish properties for the pair, some in the region of £600,000 and boasting five bedrooms.
It has since emerged that one million people tuned in for the episode, which won in its time slot, and Jonnie admitted it was ‘a lot of fun’ working on the programme.
Sharing a shot of himself with the crew on location, he wrote on Instagram: ‘Just been told about the overnight viewing figures from our show on Monday; 22% audience share, 1 million viewers and slot winner!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxxgP-DIknp/
‘Well done to all of our team on @escape_country and thanks to you so much for watching, I must admit we had a lot of fun filming this episode. #newbeginnings #countrylife #property #onlocation #rural #rurallife #autumn #onset #onsetlife’
His post was flooded with well wishes and kind words from his fans, who all agreed it was ‘lovely’ to see him back on screen.
‘Great to see you back – and looking amazing! Keep going – everyone’s behind you! 💪🏼💪🏼,’ commented on fan, while another added: ‘Loved seeing you back on the box Jonnie. Such a natural and brill sense of humour.❤️’
One declared: ‘It’s all down to you, Jonnie.’
Jonnie’s TV return comes after he vented his ‘frustrations’ after discovering his cancer is ‘on the move’.
The dad-of-three admitted he ‘hasn’t been feeling great’ over recent weeks, telling his followers he’s been ‘pretty unwell’.
However, this hasn’t prevented him from celebrating big milestones with his kids, having enjoyed a summer staycation with Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, two.
Upon returning home, there were more emotional moments in store, as Rex started primary school, and doting dad Jonnie shared the cutest snap of Rex in his uniform, writing in the caption that he is ‘so proud of him I could burst.’
Escape to the Country airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
Macmillan cancer support
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Macmillan can offer support and information.
You can contact their helpline on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week from 8am to 8pm), use their webchat service, or visit their site for more information.
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