Jonnie Irwin makes A Place in the Sun return amid terminal cancer battle

The presenter travelled to Manchester for a live show with co-host Jasmine Harman

Jonnie Irwin has made his return to A Place in the Sun after he hosted a live show for the programme in Manchester over the weekend.

The TV presenter revealed his terminal cancer diagnosis in November 2022 and has been updating his followers about his journey ever since.

On Saturday (4 March), he shared a photograph of clothes laid out on his bed, including a wool hat, socks, scarf and coat.

Irwin, 49, wrote in the caption: “Selecting wardrobe for A Place in the Sun LIVE tomorrow in Manchester.

“It’s an early start and as I’m not fit enough to run for the train at the moment, I’m prepping the night before.”

He continued: “My wife can’t quite believe it! Cold weather calls for wool, wool, and more wool. It’s also a rare thing for Jasmine Harman and myself to both be there on a Sunday so please come along and we’ll hopefully see you there.”

Irwin appeared at the event on Sunday (5 March) alongside his co-host Harman, who later posted a video of the day.

Her video included a photograph of her and Irwin standing in front of the venue. She wrote in the caption: “What a pleasure to see my pal Jonnie, who inspired everyone with his advice: ‘Why wait?’ whilst we were on stage talking about seizing the moment.”

Irwin said he decided to go public with his illness after learning that his lung cancer had spread to his brain.

He told Hello! magazine that he doesn’t “know how long I have” and explained that he first realised something was wrong in August 2020 when he experienced blurry vision while filming the show.

Shortly after sharing his diagnosis, Irwin alleged that the Channel 4 show dropped him because of it and claimed that it “pushed him aside for someone healthier”.

He told The Sun that he wanted to continue working but claimed that Channel 4 responded to him by saying they “don’t think we can get the insurance”.

Representatives told the publication at the time: “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.

(BBC)

“We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time.”

However, after he revealed that he would be part of the live show over the weekend, fans were thrilled to see him back at work.

“You are an inspiration,” one fan wrote in the comments, while another added: “Delighted to hear you’re teaming up with your old pal Jasmine for a day of doing what you two do so well, inform, educate and entertain.”

In February, Irwin told his followers that he had started hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised environment.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has the potential to increase the amount of oxygen in cancer cells, which could make them easier to kill with radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Irwin, who is known for hosting A Place in the Sun and BBC’s Escape To The Country, shares three-year-old son Rex and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica.