Jonnie Irwin ‘furious’ as he ‘pulls himself out of sickbed’ for Tottenham vs Newcastle match

Former ‘A Place in the Sun’ presenter was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2020

Jonnie Irwin says he was “furious” to “pull himself” out of his “sickbed” for a disappointing football match over the weekend.

The 49-year-old, who is best known for presenting the property TV show A Place in the Sun, said in November that he “doesn’t know how long” he has left to live, after first being diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020.

On Sunday (23 April), the Escape to the Country presenter wrote on Instagram that he had to “pull” himself out of his “sickbed” to watch a football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle.

Sharing a picture of the football pitch, he quipped: “It’s embarrassing!” as he appeared to joke about his disappointment that Tottenham Hotspur – the team he supports – lost 6-1 to Newcastle.

In the post’s comments, he added that he took the lift to get to his seat at the back of the football stadium, but joked that the experience in the lift was the “highlight” of the match, instead of the game itself.

Irwin has been sharing candid updates about his health condition since his diagnosis.

In an Instagram post shared earlier this month, the presenter recounted a story where he said he must have “looked a right state” as he attempted to run for a train.

“Must’ve looked a right state – crazed and panicked chemo boy dragging a wheeled case with a strange transparent shoulder bag falling down his arm and a hot crossed bun hanging from the side of his mouth attempting to run for the departing train,” he said.

He added that the train’s conductor kindly held the doors for him and he was able to board it.

“My penance was that my seat was at the opposite end so I had to walk past all the passengers who had viewed this spectacle,” he joked.

In an interview last month, Irwin said he’s now “weak” and “fragile” but “still here”.

He opened up about how an attempt to play football with his four-year-old son “broke” him.

“I tried to play football with Rex the other day and was in goal and I couldn’t get near the ball. It was so frustrating,” he told The Sun.

“I’m very sporty and suddenly it’s just like… it was as if it was the first time I’d attempted football. I felt like a granddad. And that broke me a bit.”

He added: “I always thought, ‘I’m an older dad but I’ll be leading from the front,’ but I’m now at the back.”