A Place in the Sun: Former host says she’s ‘beyond heartbroken’ about Jonnie Irwin’s terminal cancer

‘It’s horrific and I can’t bear it,’ Irwin’s former co-host said

Former A Place in the Sun host Amanda Lamb has said she is “beyond heartbroken” about Jonnie Irwin’s terminal cancer.

Lamb, who presented the series from 2001 to 2009, called the news “horrific”, describing Irwin as “a gorgeous human being”.

Irwin, who hosted the show from 2004 until 2022, came forward with his terminal cancer diagnosis in November after initially keeping it a secret.

He decided to make the news public after learning the cancer has spread from his lungs to his brain, and said in an interview with Hello! Magazine that he he hopes it will inspire people to “make the most of every day”.

”One of the things I love about Jonnie is how he is tackling it with such dignity,” Irwin’s former co-host said in a new interview, adding: “I love the fact he is doing all these experiences and he is going to all these places. I hope he gets to see many more.”

Lamb, who co-hosted the show with Irwin for six years, from 2004 to 2009, told Daily Express: “But its horrific and I can’t bear it. He is such a gorgeous human being and it’s beyond heartbreaking. Life is so unfair.

“I’ve sent a message to Jonnie. He knows how loved he is but, rightly, he needs to focus on his immediate family now.’

Lamb said: “I think when you are going through anything whether it’s a bereavement, divorce, or a monumental occasion in your life, it is very important to know you are loved but also to know people are there if you need them.”

Irwin said he first became aware something was wrong while filming Channel 4 daytime series A Place in the Sun in August 2020.

He experienced blurry vision while driving and, “within a week of flying back from filming” he said he was “given six months to live”.

Jonnie Irwin (Channel 4)

“I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much,” he said, adding: “That was devastating. All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.”

He went on to claim that he was fired as host after telling the producers about his diagnosis. “I feel I’d earned a bit more from them after 18 years,” he said, adding that “someone else was on TV doing my job” just two weeks later.

Irwin has a three-year-old son named Rex, and two-year-old twins named Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica.