“That’s enough for me,” he says. “That’s all I need.”
The Escape to the Country presenter will savour every small moment with sons Rex, four, and twins Rafa and Cormac, who turn three this month, and his wife Jessica, throwing himself into family life in a way he hasn’t always felt able to in the past three years.
In August 2020, two months after the birth of his twin boys, Jonnie was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer that had spread to his brain.
“At the start of my illness, I know I held back,” he tells HELLO! at his home in Newcastle-uponTyne. “It was probably a defence mechanism as ultimately I know I’m not going to be around.
“But more recently I thought: ‘F**k it.’ I just want to immerse myself in it and to have as many good times as we can.”
NEVER GIVING UP
It is fighting talk from a man who says he isn’t “interested in talking about cancer – I want to talk about life”.
Which he does with bravery, resilience and stoicism – as well as a few tears – in this exclusive interview and photoshoot, talking movingly about his pride in and love for his family, as well as how he is coping with an illness that has left him weak and in pain, but not diminished.
“It can happen at any time,” he says of his death, which he has so far cheated for three years. “I’m here to stop it for as long as possible.”
A stay in a hospice to deal with chronic pain in his back has meant Jonnie, 49, has been more sedentary than usual, not so quick on his feet or as full of the energy needed to keep up with his rambunctious boys.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 19, 2023 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 19, 2023 من HELLO! UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
OSCAR-WINNING FAMILY MAN - EDDIE REDMAYNE
GOES UNDERCOVER TO LEARN REAL-LIFE SPY SKILLS FOR DREAM ROLE
NEW ROYAL REVELATIONS THE KING IS REVEALED AS A 'KINDLY SOUL' WHO'S OPEN TO A RECONCILIATION WITH HARRY
They may have had a strained relationship in recent years, but reconciliation could finally be on the cards for the King and his son the Duke of Sussex-once Prince Harry's legal challenges are over.
JUDE LAW: TAKING ON A 'BROKEN' F.B.I. AGENT IN NEW THRILLER
REVEALS HOW TAKING THE REINS AS A PRODUCER HAS PUT HIM IN CONTROL OF A NEW CHAPTER IN HIS CAREER
THE MARCHIONESS OF BATH - OUR SOCIAL EDITOR AT LARGE STEPS OUT IN STYLE IN MOROCCO
No sooner had I jetted back from the glamour of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York than it was time to hop on to another plane this time my destination was Marrakech.
DEMI MOORE: BREAKING DOWN BEAUTY STEREOTYPES
ON HOW GORY NEW FILM GAVE HER THE 'GIFT' OF SEEING HERSELF ANEW
THE PRINCE OF WALES - AT THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE AWARDS
DRAWS PEOPLE FROM ACROSS AFRICA TO FOCUS ON PROTECTING THE PLANET
HELLO! to KINDNES: IDRIS ELBA
For World Kindness Day 2024, HELLO! is celebrating the selfless celebrities, campaigning royals and fabulous fundraisers who prove that being kind isn't determined by who you are, but by what you do. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, this special day on 13 November encourages us all to practise kindness in our daily lives, helping us nurture our feelings of empathy, understanding and compassion to create a more caring world.
LIGHTING UP LONDON AT 'UNSTOPPABLE' PREMIERE - JENNIFER LOPEZ
SAYS SHARING STORIES OF DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS HELPED HER BRING A STRUGGLING MUM TO LIFE
DIGGING DEEP IN HER OWN FAMILY LIFE - SAOIRSE RONAN
ON PORTRAYING MOTHERHOOD IN INTENSE WARTIME DRAMA
A-LISTERS FLOCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR LACMA'S-GLITZY NIGHT OUT
MUSEUM SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORD AS STARS GLITTER IN GUCCI