Escape to the Country's Jonnie Irwin has terminal cancer

'Escape to the Country' host Jonnie Irwin was told he had six months to live.

The 48-year-old father-of-three has revealed he was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020, which spread to his brain, and has spoken for the first time publicly about the devasting prognosis and how he's remaining positive for his family.

The TV star knew something wasn't right when he was filming 'A Place in the Sun' in Italy, where he was experiencing blurred vision while driving, and he came home to find out he was terminally ill.

He told HELLO!: "Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live.

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

Jonnie - who has sons Rex, three, and two-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jess, 40 - only has one item on his bucket list; to spend as much time making memories with his family as possible.

He said: "I owe that to Jess and our boys.

"Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family.

"I don’t know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive and my attitude is that I'm living with cancer, not dying from it."

Jonnie is heartbroken that his young boys will grow up without properly getting to know their father.

He added: "I set little markers – things I want to be around for. I got into the habit of saying: 'Don't plan ahead because I might not be well enough.'

"But now I want to make plans. I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart."