Jonnie Irwin’s widow says presenter’s death ‘doesn’t feel real’

‘A Place in the Sun’ presenter died aged 50 after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2020

Jonnie Irwin’s widow Jessica Holmes has opened up about the grief she feels after her husband’s death.

Irwin was best known as the presenter of Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun, a series in which he helped British property hunters find homes abroad.

Holmes, 40, announced on 2 February that Irwin had died from cancer aged 50. In 2020, he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, which later spread to his brain, but he initially kept his diagnosis a secret from the public for two years.

He is survived by Holmes, who he married in 2016, and their three children: Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, three.

Holmes has now shared a public statement for the first time since Irwin’s death, stating that “it still doesn’t feel real”.

“The sadness is huge,” she wrote on Instagram. “I can’t even let myself think what another week without Jonnie will be like let alone another year another 10 years.”

She said that support from friends and strangers had touched her, and that her family and Irwin’s sisters have picked her back up.

“Your support and love means everything to me,” she said.

Jessica Holmes and Jonnie Irwin pictured in October 2023 (@jonnieirwintv / Instagram)

Holmes added that she and her children have opted for a “change of scene” following Irwin’s death.

Sharing a scenic photograph of a rocky terrain overlooking the sea, she wrote: “I am loving watching the boys enjoy some days in the sun and having a change of scene is just what we needed.”

Announcing Irwin’s death earlier this month, Holmes said that it was the day she prayed would never come.

Jonnie Irwin appearing on BBC News in July 2023 (BBC News)

“It’s with all the the saddness in the world that I confirm Jonnie has passed away earlier today. His magical brain that continued to fight to the end has now gone to sleep,” she wrote.

“He has given me more than I could ever have wished for, 8 bonkers years of love and adventure and 3 amazing boys. I will continue to make you proud but only with your love still finding me and guiding me for the rest of my life, me and the boys still need you.”

On 13 November 2022, Irwin revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer back in 2020. After initially keeping his illness private, the presenter said he decided to speak publicly after being told the cancer had spread from his lungs to his brain.

“It’s got to the point now where it feels like I’m carrying a dirty secret, it’s become a monkey on my back,” he said at the time.

Jonnie Irwin photographed in 2010 (Getty Images)

“I hope that by shaking that monkey off I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying.”

The Escape to the Country presenter was initially told he had six months left to live but exceeded his initial prognosis.

In the months before his death, Irwin had been widely praised for raising awareness of his terminal illness, and for his candid interviews addressing his condition.

Throughout his treatment, Irwin had worked tirelessly to renovate his family home in Newcastle, and had been sharing progress on his renovations with his fans on social media.

“We try to carry on as normal,” Irwin told the Daily Mail in December 2022. “We made a decision not to mourn and to make the most of every day.

“I’m still working... I try to manufacture positive thoughts. People say, ‘How do you stay so upbeat?’ It’s a bit of an act, really.’”

Irwin’s former A Place in the Sun co-star Jasmine Harman, 48, said in a statement that she had “never known anyone as strong” as the fellow TV presenter.

“I have never admired you more than over the last few years as you’ve faced life with cancer with positivity, determination and bloody mindedness.

“I’ve never known anyone as strong as you. You have done yourself, your loved ones and all of us proud. The world is a little darker today without you, but I will always smile when I think of you. My partner in crime, my OG co-presenter – Jonnie, I will miss you.”