'I never thought I'd be here for this': British TV presenter's milestone after diagnosis

British TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has celebrated a milestone amid his terminal lung cancer battle, flying to Spain with his wife and children to mark his 50th birthday.

"I never thought I'd be here for this," Irwin told Hello!

"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 told the publication.

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"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.

Irwin, who was recently in hospital with a bout of jaundice, felt grateful to have recovered in time for the trip with his wife Jessica, son Rex, four, and three-year-old twins Rafa and Cormac.

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He said he began experiencing a fever and acute stabbing pain on his right side ahead of the hospital admission.

"Turns out I probably had an infection and other issues which I won't bore you with," he 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."

Irwin admits he is struggling to accept his fate and his choosing to focus on creating as many memories with his young children as possible.

"Every little thing is so valuable to me, even kicking the ball against the wall for half hour," he told Hello!.

As of November 2022 Irwin hadn't told his eldest child about his illness.

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"We make fun of my hair – he calls it my 'spiky head' – but as far as he's concerned, his dad is normal and why would I shatter that innocence?"

Irwin began his TV career in 2004 when was chosen to host A Place in the Sun - Home or Away for Channel 4. He also presented Escape to the Country and To Buy or Not to Buy for BBC.

Irwin and his wife Jessica Holmes married in September 2016 and share three children.