A Place in the Sun presenter Jasmine Harman has wished former colleague Jonnie Irwin a happy 50th - with a blast from the past. Jonnie, who is suffering from terminal cancer, has just been to Spain to celebrate his birthday.
And fans had been worried about the star because just before he’d been in hospital suffering from stabbing pains in his side and jaundice. But Jonnie who has cancer in his brain, lungs and liver, decided he wasn’t going to ‘play by the rules‘.
Jasmine revealed she had seen Jonnie and said in a post on Instagram: “Happy 50th Birthday Jonnie! It was so very lovely to see you and the fam last week. You are such an inspiration, love you lots!
#throwback to our first photo shoot together almost 20 years ago!” Jonnie replied: “Bloomin Nora, look at us! So good to spend time with you and yours too. xxxx”
Fans were delighted with buzzybeesonthego saying: “Happy 50th Birthday Jonnie x Lovely photo of the 2 J’s Original presenters of a Place in the Sun x.” Margaret Reynolds said: “Happy 50th Birthday Jonnie in lovely sunny Spain. Enjoy every moment with your beautiful wife and boys. Gorgeous photo by the way sending lots of love and best wishes from rainy Liverpool.”
Loreli steel said: “Happy Birthday Jonnie, here’s to many more, you are an inspiration.” Lavinaswishlist added: “Awww look at you two … baby faces … happiest of birthdays @jonnieirwintv welcome to the club.”
Jonnie recently said that at one point he was so ill doctors gave him two weeks to live. But the celebrity, originally from Leicestershire and now in the north east near wife Jessica’s family has defied the predictions.
On Thursday despite having the setback he proclaimed he wasn’t going to ‘play by the rules’ and having left hospital was still going on the break with his family. Jonnie said: “Well, I woke up this morning feeling a bit better, and I’m still slightly jaundiced, but I’m about to jump on a flight to southern Spain. I did clear with my oncologist. He said: ‘Well, there are hospitals in Spain’, and in fairness, you don’t play by the rules anyway. But my thoughts are that’s probably part of my success so far. So fingers crossed my liver continues to get a bit better. And me and my family, we wake up tomorrow morning to blue skies in southern Spain.”
Now speaking to Hello! Jonnie said: “I feel really privileged to be able to celebrate my birthday looking at blue skies and with sand between my toes. I had an early birthday party at the start of the year because I didn’t think I’d make it.
“It was like being at my own wake; lots of fun, lots of dancing. But here I am. I view it as a complete triumph.”
Jonnie, who runs his own business finding people homes abroad and also appears on the BBC’s Morning Live and Escape to the Country, says he still has hope he can beat his illness.
