"I was pushed to the side in favour of someone healthier"
'A Place in the Sun' and 'Escape to the Country' presenter Jonnie Irwin shared some sad news recently when he revealed that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The 49-year-old told how doctors said he might only have months to live after the cancer in his lungs had spread to his brain, and spoke of the pain of knowing his three young sons would grow up without him.
He first noticed symptoms when he had blurred vision while driving in Italy, when filming for the show in 2020.
Now, Irwin has revealed how he was reportedly treated badly by the people behind the Channel 4 show that he has presented since 2004.
He told The Sun that he had felt supported by 'Escape to the County' and A Place in the Sun Ltd., which runs the property travel show's exhibitions - but not from the show itself.
"I didn’t get that support from A Place In The Sun," he said. "I told them I wanted to work. When I said I can get you doctor notes and assurances from my oncologist that I am fit to work, I was told, verbatim, 'Oh, you really don’t want to go down that route, do you?'
"They said, 'We don’t think we can get the insurance' - not 'We can’t get the insurance', but, 'We don’t think…'," he added. "That broke my heart and affected my mental health."
He said that he had been paid until the end of the season but that his contract wasn't renewed, and felt he had been "pushed to the side in favour of someone healthier".
In response, Channel 4 released a statement saying "No stone was left unturned in trying to enable Jonnie to continue his international filming with us during Covid but the production company were unable to secure adequate insurance cover for him.
"We, of course, understand how frustrating this must be for him at this incredibly difficult time."