Jess Irwin, the wife of TV presenter Jonnie Irwin, recently gave her first interview since her husband died from cancer.
Jonnie was a favourite among the public, presenting Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun and BBC’s Escape to the Country. He died at age 50 in February following a battle with cancer. He and his wife of seven years, Jess, shared three sons – Rex, Rafa, and Cormac.
Jonnie Irwin wife
Prior to his death, Jonnie and Jess didn’t inform their kids that their dad was going to die. However, he still remains a topic of conversation on a regular basis.
“Jonnie is present in so many of our chats. Rex will say: ‘Would Daddy like to watch this?’ or: ‘Was this Daddy’s favourite chocolate?’ He wants to include him, whereas with the twins, it’s more: ‘I want Daddy to come back,’ and I say: ‘Yes, I do, too,'” she told HELLO! Magazine.
“The other day Cormac asked: ‘Can the spaceman not find him?’ That broke my heart. Rex had these wrap-around sunglasses on when we went away recently and he pointed to the screws and said: ‘Mummy, look – if you press this button, you can see up in the sky. And if you press this button, you can speak to Daddy.'”
“I said: ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing. Can I borrow them?’ and he just said: ‘Of course,’ so it’s all been quite positive. And he’s having support at school, which is great,” Jess continued.
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Jonnie Irwin final days
During his final days, Jess cared for him at home alongside the nurses. Before he died, she recalled “This can’t be it” as she was told, “There would be a neurological decline”.
Two weeks before, Jess said Jonnie had been “playfully giving me grief for something”. When she would try to get him to make plans, she would tell him off for being “negative”. She has since questioned: “Did he know?”
“That’s what makes me really, really, really sad, when I think what must have been going through his mind,” she concluded.
Escape to the Country is on BBC One Sunday at 2.50pm.
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