Jonnie Irwin gives update on battle with cancer and shares candid Christmas snaps

Jonnie Irwin shared photos of his Christmas holidays on social media and gave an update on his battle with cancer.

The 49-year-old presenter of A Place in the Sun has months to live after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2020, which has now spread to his brain.

Before the holidays, Irwin spoke about celebrating what could be his “last” Christmas with his wife Jessica and their three sons Rex, 4, and twins Rafa and Cormac, 2, and posted snapshots of their time together during the holidays on Instagram.

The TV star shared a series of photos of his brood at home with extended family and friends and wrote: “After NY with the family, I hung on for a few more days and headed deeper south. Great! #Friends”.

In one photo, Irwin is seen smiling while sitting on a sofa with his son Rex, and in another photo he is seen with his loved ones just hours before ringing in the New Year.

Another snapshot shows the presenter's 40-year-old wife, Jessica, with their three sons on a day trip to a farm.

Irwin's latest family photos come after he spoke about not wanting his children to know that this could be their last Christmas with their father.

The Channel 4 presenter focused on enjoying the holidays as much as possible and maintaining his “blissful ignorance” of his terminal illness from his sons for as long as possible.

Irwin told the Daily Mail: “When I am more frail or lying in bed for days, [tell them]If you have 20 days left, why spend them in sadness and confusion?

“Why not just 15 days of pure, blissful ignorance and five days of knowing the facts?”

He added that he was not looking forward to finally telling his eldest son Rex about his tragic diagnosis and was still wondering if it was the right thing to do.

Irwin described the Christmas season elsewhere as “difficult” because he was unsure how much longer he would be there for his family.

The worried star told The Sun: “I'd be lying if I didn't say Christmas was going to be difficult. I'm not saying it's going to be my last because I don't know for sure.”

“I want to be here as long as possible, but that could be, and I want to enjoy it and just spend time with Jess and the kids.”