by Simona Marchetti
In an interview with The Sun, the popular British TV presenter said he was kicked out by the producers of the show he hosted for 18 years and now he can’t even watch
As if being diagnosed with terminal cancer wasn’t bad enough to accept, Jonnie Irwin has also lost his job after being kicked out of A Place In The Sun, the Channel 4 show he hosted for 18 years. “When people find out you have cancer, they write you off,” the 49-year-old TV host said in a lengthy interview with The Sun. Yes I’m in phase 4 and it’s ending but I’m not dead yet so let me live my life while I can. As soon as I told the producers of A Place In The Sun about my diagnosis, they paid me for the rest of the season but didn’t renew my contract even though they knew I wanted to continue. That hurt and broke my heart. I’m hugely disappointed and now I can’t even watch the show.”
When he was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020 which had spread to his brain he was only given 6 months but a mix of medication, radiation and chemo has kept him alive to this day and he has continued to work and deal with ” Escape to the Country» and various commercial projects. But after what happened to Freeform Productions – the production company of “A Place In The Sun” – he chose to keep the cancer affair a secret for two years for fear of losing other jobs. “Work is very important to me – Irwin continued – it also keeps me from thinking about cancer. But I didn’t get the support I thought I would from the bosses of A Place In The Sun. I told them I wanted to work, and when I said I could get certificates from the doctors and my oncologist that I was able to work, they said – literally – “You don’t really want to go that route, do you?”. Within two weeks there was someone else in my place on TV, they sidelined me for someone healthier and it took a toll on my mental health as if the cancer wasn’t bad enough.”
Now the British TV presenter wants to enjoy the time he has left with his wife Jess and children Rex (3) and twins Cormac and Rafa (2). “Every time something really good happens to them, I have this little voice in my head that says, ‘Don’t be too happy because you won’t be around much longer,'” Irwin concluded. When asked by the same tabloid, Freeform explained that the presenter’s non-renewal contract was due to an insurance issue. “The production company was unable to secure proper insurance coverage for Jonnie and we understand how frustrating this must be for him at this difficult time.”
November 24, 2022 (Change November 24, 2022 | 17:52)
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