TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has shared some new photos celebrating the “best Father’s Day ever” with his three young sons.
The former star of property shows such as Channel 4‘s A Place in the Sun and the BBC‘s Escape to the Country revealed that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer after first sensing something was wrong with his health while filming for work back in 2020.
The 49-year-old shared the devastating details of his illness during an interview with Hello back in November 2022, explaining that he was driving when he noticed his vision had gone blurry, before heading to the doctors and subsequently receiving his cancer diagnosis with an initial prognosis of only six months to live.
Medical treatment had since been prolonging life for the father-of-three, but Jonnie said he had chosen to go public with his diagnosis after the cancer had spread from his lungs to his brain.
Terminally ill Jonnie Irwin shares photos of ‘best Father’s Day ever’ with young sons / Credit: Jonnie Irwin (via Instagram)
Jonnie said in his initial interview with Hello magazine that he doesn’t have a bucket list, but instead wants to prioritise spending quality time with and “doing as much as we can as a family”, adding that: “One day, this is going to catch up with me – but I’m doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible.
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“I owe that to Jess and our boys.”
And spending quality time with his family was exactly what Jonnie got to do this past weekend, as he celebrated the “best Father’s Day ever” with his three young sons – four-year-old Rex, twins Rafa and Cormac aged two.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday to share a collection of photos on what the presenter has admitted in another accompanying exclusive interview with Hello magazine will be his “last Father’s Day”, Jonnie wrote: “Had the best Father’s Day ever.
“Breakfast of Chocolate Guinness cake baked expertly my brilliant wife.
“Then cards from the boys and visit from my brother-in-law for a brief pillion ride back in time to enjoy some of the highs and lows of the Ashes, ending in more cake with more family washed down by a drop of champers.”
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Jonnie was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in 2020 / Credit: Jonnie Irwin (via Instagram)
Also in the new interview, Jonnie revealed that he and his wife have chosen not to tell their boys about his cancer diagnosis.
“I keep being asked, ‘Are you going to tell them?’ But tell them what?,” Jonnie explained.
“It would be horrible news that they’d have to get their heads around. And it would confuse the hell out of Rex – he’s got a shocking enough day coming.
“Let’s bury our heads in the sand for as long as possible.”
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Gladiators Live Tour to make ‘triumphant’ return to Manchester on UK arena tour
Emily Sergeant
The Gladiators Live Tour will make a triumphant return in 2026.
Following its explosive debut in 2025 and overwhelming fan demand, the Gladiators Live Tour is set to head out on a UK tour later this year, bringing the iconic phenomenon back to arenas nationwide for an electrifying new run of shows, and making a stop off in Manchester, of course.
Audiences will, once again, have the chance to experience the action-packed spectacle featuring the stars of the hit BBC reboot series on an epic scale.
The 2025 live tour thrilled audiences nationwide, selling over 200,000 tickets and proving the arena spectacular is ‘bigger, bolder, and more electrifying’ than ever, and that energy is only set to continue this year when the show returns to Manchester’s popular AO Arena.
GLADIATORS, READY!
Following its epic debut in 2025 the triumphant live show brings the energy to Manchester on 14 & 15 Nov!
This adrenaline-fuelled event sees the legendary Gladiators storm back into the arena to face fearless contenders in a heart-pounding live adaptation of the smash-hit television phenomenon.
Expect iconic fan-favourite events, breathtaking stunts, epic head-to-head battles and the unforgettable Eliminator finale.
Featuring stars from the hit BBC series, audiences are being told to expect a truly immersive, high-octane experience, as arenas are transformed into modern gladiatorial battlegrounds complete with purpose-built sets, spectacular lighting, and cinematic staging.
The Gladiators Live Tour 2026 kicks off in Aberdeen on 10 October, before heading to other major cities like Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, as well as northern locations like Leeds and Newcastle, and of course, Manchester’s AO Arena for two nights on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November.
Tickets officially go on sale this Friday 27 March, with two shows per day available, and you can grab them when they go live here.
Emily Sergeant -
20th June 2023 
