Jonnie Irwin Turns 50, Says ‘Never Thought I’d Be Here’

Jonnie Irwin celebrated a milestone amid his battle with terminal lung cancer.

The British TV presenter celebrated his 50th birthday saying he was ”chuffed to bits” to ring in the big year with his family. 

“I never thought I’d be here for this,” the Escape to the Country host told Hello! magazine while on vacation in Spain with his wife Jessica, son Rex, 4, and 3-year-old twin sons Rafa and Cormac.

“I have been spending all day with the kids; playing in the pool and in the hot tub, playing football. When I went to bed last night I said, ‘I feel like a real dad today,’” Irwin said from the southeastern coastal city of Mijas.

“This morning I couldn’t get out of bed, but I’m not sorry and I’ll do it again. I’ll rest when I absolutely need to but I’ll have fun until I drop,” he told the outlet.

Irwin, who revealed his terminal lung cancer diagnosis in November 2022, was recently hospitalized for jaundice.

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“I had a fever and acute stabbing pain in my right hand side. Turns out I probably had an infection and other issues which I won’t bore you with,” Irwin shared on Instagram. 

“Been on drips, regular bloods taken and have observations every 4 hours through day and night,” he continued, adding that his return to the hospital was “just part of the roller coaster life that this illness throws at you.”

At the time he told Hello! : “This latest scare is a big bump in the road and I’m hoping beyond hope to get a solution. I don’t think it’s going to be easy. Some people correctly say I’m burying my head in the sand, and I am. I don’t want to think about it; I want to think about positive things. “

But Irwin says that he’s keeping everything in perspective — especially as it relates to time with his children.

“Every little thing is so valuable to me, even kicking the ball against the wall for half hour,” he told Hello!. “Every little thing you take for granted means something to me. It’s another memory. It’s so special, and being away with my wife and the kids for my 50th is brilliant.” 

Irwin has shared that he’s making recordings for his children as he continues his health journey.

“I’m about making memories. I know my children are so young they won’t remember me,” Irwin shared last year during an appearance on Good Morning Britain, per the Daily Mail. “I want to at least get it on camera or film to show them the early days were brilliant. I think our house for Christmas will be extravagant.”