Jonnie Irwin was in high spirits as he made a rare appearance at a public event this weekend.
The TV presenter, 49, joined his co-stars for A Place in the Sun Live in Birmingham on Saturday (September 23), an interactive event of exhibitions, Q&As, seminars, and panel talks across several days.
Jonnie has been taking life at a slower pace over recent months following his terminal cancer diagnosis, which he revealed publicly last November.
The dad-of-three doesn’t know how long he has left to live, although doctors previously didn’t expect him to make it to 2023.
In his most recent health update, Jonnie shared his ‘frustration’ as he admitted his cancer is ‘on the move.’
Jonnie – whose young children remain unaware of his illness – has taken every opportunity to make memories with his loved ones, with his outing this weekend bringing joy to fans following his journey.
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Taking to Instagram, fellow presenter Jasmine Harman shared a snap with Jonnie at the venue, smiling next to him wearing a purple dress while Jonnie went smart-casual in a shirt, jacket, and flat cap.
‘Teaming up with the one and only @jonnieirwintv at A Place in the Live in Birmingham today’, she wrote. ‘Hope to see you there!’
A Place in the Sun’s official page kept viewers updated throughout the afternoon with videos of Jonnie delighting attendees on panels.
‘How wonderful to see you!’, the host told Jonnie as they chatted on sofas in front of a crowd.
‘Lovely to be here!’, Jonnie said excitedly.
‘Really nice to be here, back in Brum!’, he added with a Birmingham accent.
Jonnie then noted that the event wasn’t far from where he grew up, having been born in Bitteswell.
Further videos captured the huge crowd of people who had gathered to see Jonnie, with the room absolutely packed and full of smiling faces.
Ahead of his appearance at the live event, Jonnie wrote on Instagram last night: ‘Just pulling into Brum and excited to be joining this beaut of a human tomorrow at the NEC.’
Taking to the comments, his followers were buzzing to see him in action with his co-star.
‘A Place in the Sun is Jonnie and Jasmine 👏❤️❤️’, one follower commented.
‘Enjoy Jonnie! The A team are back!! 👏❤️’, another said.
Jonnie – who said he’s felt ‘weaker’ in recent weeks – previously spoke about feeling ‘pushed aside’ once the A Place in the Sun team learned of his cancer.
Jonnie said he was impressed by the support from Escape to the Country, but A Place in the Sun was a different story.
‘But I didn’t get that support from A Place In The Sun,’ he said. ‘I told them I wanted to work. When I said I can get you doctor notes and assurances from my oncologist that I am fit to work, I was told, verbatim, “Oh, you really don’t want to go down that route, do you?”
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‘They said, “We don’t think we can get the insurance”, not, “We can’t get the insurance”, but, “We don’t think…” That broke my heart and affected my mental health.’
He claimed that the show paid him for the rest of the season but didn’t renew his contract.
Jonnie added to The Sun: ‘Within two weeks, someone else was on TV doing my job.
‘I just feel I earned a bit more from them after 18 years.’
He claimed he’s been ‘pushed to the side in favour of someone healthier’ and added: ‘That broke my heart’.
Channel 4 and Freeform later responded with the following statement: ‘No stone was left unturned in trying to enable Jonnie to continue his international filming with us during Covid but the production company were unable to secure adequate insurance cover for him.
‘We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time.’
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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