A Place In The Sun's Jonnie Irwin 'hasn't told kids it's likely his last Christmas'

A Place In The Sun's Jonnie Irwin has opted not to tell his children he is terminally ill – opting instead to make what could potentially be his last Christmas a joyful one.

The Channel 4 presenter, 49, revealed publicly in November he had terminal cancer which started in his lungs before spreading to his brain.

Read more: Jonnie Irwin still wants the 'same opportunities for fun' after cancer diagnosis

He has since been given months to live and has been spending as much time as possible making memories with his wife Jess, their four-year-old son, Rex, and two-year-old twins, Rafa and Cormac.

As he takes his kids to see Santa and plans to fill his days with positive experiences, he's confirmed that he doesn't intend to tell his children this could be their last Christmas as a family.

“If you have 20 days left, why spend them in mourning and confusion? Why not just have 15 days of pure, blissful ignorance and five days of knowing the facts?" Irwin told the Daily Mail.

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“I'm not looking forward to the chat with Rex. We're still thinking about it. I've learnt that it's best to do nothing if you're unsure.”

He added he and wife Jess will tell the kids when he is "more frail" and they're no longer able to keep it a secret from them.

"I've been told I've got months to live. We're hurtling towards where we don't want to be," Irwin acknowledged.

"I've had a big dose of reality. I'm not going to beat this. People say, 'Don't worry. You will.' Well I probably won't, mate."

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Irwin has become a firm favourite on A Place In The Sun, joining the team in 2004.

He was initially diagnosed with cancer in August 2020, shortly after returning from filming in Italy for the Channel 4 series.

Rather than be "mollycoddled", Irwin initially insisted the diagnosis be kept secret for fear of being treated differently in a professional context.

"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," he told Hello! Magazine earlier this month.

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"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."

WATCH: A Place In The Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin explains why he kept cancer diagnosis secret