16 May 2024 , 11:12
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Jonnie Irwin's wife Jess Irwin has spoken about their family dealing with their loss in the months since he passed away.
It was announced in February that the former A Place in the Sun presenter had died, aged 50, more than three years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Jonnie had shared that he was initially given six months to live in 2020.
Following the diagnosis, it was suggested that Jonnie and his wife had chosen not to tell their three children. Jess, who married Jonnie in 2016, is now raising son Rex, five, as well as twins Rafa and Cormac, three, without her late husband.
She spoke about navigating the experience in an interview recently, in which she shared that Jonnie is "present" in "so many" of the family's conversations following his death. And she later suggested that it has "all been quite positive".
Jess Irwin (right), pictured with her late husband Jonnie Irwin (left) and their three children, has spoken about her family in a new interview (Instagram)Jess told Hello! magazine: "Rex will say 'would Daddy like to watch this?' or 'was this Daddy's favourite chocolate?' He wants to include him, whereas with the twins, it's more 'I want Daddy to come back,' and I say 'yes, I do, too.'"
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Further discussing her kids, Jess added that Cormac recently asked: "Can the spaceman not find him?" She told the outlet that the question "broke [her] heart" and then spoke about a separate interaction she had with Rex.
She said that he has a pair of "wrap around" sunglasses and that after pointing to screws on the accessory, he told her that if she pressed a certain "button" on them, she would be able to "see up in the sky". She shared that he added that pressing another "button" would let her "speak to Daddy".
During the interview, Jess also reflected on the last few days of her late husband's life, telling the outlet that she wonders if he was aware that he was in his final moments. She said: "That's what makes me really, really, really sad, when I think what must have been going through his mind."
Jess added that Jonnie told her he was "so happy" to have met her, with her telling the outlet that they had "so much fun together" and had that there was "passion" between them. She said that her husband also told her that he knew their kids would have "the most joy and fun" in their lives.
The interview comes after Jess paid tribute to Jonnie when it was announced that he had passed away three months ago. She wrote in a post at the time: "He has given me more than I could ever have wished for, eight bonkers years of love and adventure and three amazing boys." Jess added: "I will continue to make you proud but only with your love still finding me and guiding me for the rest of my life."
The Macmillan Support Line offers confidential support to people living with cancer and their loved ones. If you need to talk, call us on 0808 808 0000.