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Jonnie Irwin still wants the 'same opportunities for fun' after cancer diagnosis

A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin announced last month that he has terminal cancer. (Channel 4)
A Place in the Sun presenter Jonnie Irwin announced last month that he has terminal cancer. (Channel 4)

TV presenter Jonnie Irwin wants people to stop mollycoddling anyone living with cancer and offer them opportunities to live their life and have fun just like everybody else.

Irwin, who has presented property shows including A Place in the Sun and Escape to the Country, revealed in November that he has terminal lung cancer, which has spread to his brain.

Read more: Irwin "dosed up" on painkillers to enjoy bike ride

The 49-year-old presenter told BBC chat show Morning Live on Thursday that cancer is "the most terrifying word in the English language" and triggers an immediate response from people.

He said that one of his biggest bugbears is when people make decisions on his behalf and decide not to invite him to social events because of his illness.

Jonnie Irwin kept his cancer diagnosis a secret for several years. (ITV)
Jonnie Irwin kept his cancer diagnosis a secret for several years. (ITV)

Irwin said: "We don’t need mollycoddling. We are normal human beings, as normal as it gets. So treat us as you would do two years ago.

"We’re normal human beings the same as everyone else and we want the same opportunities for fun and living as everybody else gets."

Read more: James Whale of Talk TV announces terminal cancer diagnosis

Irwin was initially diagnosed with 2020 and said that, since he received news that his condition was terminal, he doesn't know how much longer he has to live.

He previously said he kept his diagnosis a secret for several years in order to avoid being treated differently in a professional context.

After first announcing his diagnosis in November, Irwin thanked fans for their support in an emotional post on Instagram.

He wrote: "Overwhelmed by your kind messages, not had the chance to read them all yet but I assure you I will.

Read more: Jonnie Irwin takes son to see Santa after his cancer diagnosis

"Yesterday I needed some headspace so I escaped to the country with my brother in law and his dog. It was a tonic."

Irwin's telly career started in 2004 when he was selected from hundreds of applicants to be one of the main hosts of A Place in the Sun — a show he worked on for the next 18 years.

Watch: Jonnie Irwin reveals why he didn't tell people about cancer