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TV presenter Jonnie Irwin has revealed he is living with terminal cancer and hopes to use his diagnosis to inspire others to “make the most of every day”.

The father-of-three, who presents Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun and the BBC’s Escape To The Country, was initially diagnosed with lung cancer back in 2020 and told he had just six months to live.

The 48-year-old has now shared that the disease has spread to his brain, telling Hello magazine: “I don’t know how long I have left.”

Irwin said the first warning sign of his illness came while he was filming in Italy in August 2020, when his vision became blurry.

“Within a week of flying back from filming, I was being given six months to live,” he said.

“I had to go home and tell my wife, who was looking after our babies, that she was on her own pretty much. That was devastating.

“All I could do was apologise to her. I felt so responsible.”

Irwin and his wife Jessica share a three-year-old son named Rex and two-year-old twins, Rafa and Cormac.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY NOVEMBER 14 THIS PICTURE MUST ONLY BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FRONT COVER OF THIS WEEKS HELLO! MAGAZINE. NO SALES NO ARCHIVE. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. ANY PUBLICATION WANTING TO USE THIS IMAGE SUPPLIED BY HELLO! ON PAGE ONE OF THEIR PUBLICATION MUST GET EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM HELLO! BEFORE DOING SO. Undated handout photo issued by Hello! of Jonnie Irwin appearing in this week's edition of the magazine. Pictured with his wife Jessica, 40, and their children, Rex, three,

‘It feels like I’m carrying a dirty secret’

Up until now, Irwin had chosen to keep his illness private, but decided to speak about his diagnosis in the hope of inspiring others with “life-limiting prospects”.

“It’s got to the point now where it feels like I’m carrying a dirty secret, it’s become a monkey on my back,” he said.

“I hope that by shaking that monkey off, I might inspire people who are living with life-limiting prospects to make the most of every day, to help them see that you can live a positive life, even though you are dying.”

He added: “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, Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family.”

Despite his diagnosis, Irwin is determined to work as much as possible, saying he is taking the attitude that he is “living with cancer, not dying from it”.

“I want to make memories and capture these moments with my family because the reality is, my boys are going to grow up not knowing their dad and that breaks my heart,” he said.

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Storm Bert: Man dies and 10 rescued after landslide as ‘multiple-hazard event’ causes chaos around UK

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Storm Bert: Man dies and 10 rescued after landslide as 'multiple-hazard event' causes chaos around UK

A man has died and 10 people, including five children, have been rescued after a landslide as Storm Bert batters the UK.

A “multi-hazard event” of snow, rain and strong winds caused chaos and disruption on Saturday, with several weather warnings set to remain in place all weekend.

Separate yellow weather warnings for wind are expected to come into force from 11am on Sunday across Northern Ireland and from midday across the Scottish Highlands, with the Met Office warning delays to rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

Hampshire Police said a man in his 60s died after a tree fell on to a car on the A34 southbound near Winchester on Saturday morning.

Storm Bert live: Follow latest updates

The force said it was investigating whether the incident was linked to the weather. A yellow warning for rain and wind was in place across the area.

In North Wales, five adults and five children were rescued from a house after a landslide.

Met Office latest map - 23 Nov
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Pic: Met Office

A spokesman from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Services said all 10 people were being assessed by ambulance crews away from the scene in Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, near Llangollen.

A further landslide was reported in the area, but it is understood no one else was affected.

In Ireland, at least 11,000 properties were without power going into the evening due to the impact of the storm.

Electricity company ESB Networks said earlier on Saturday at least 60,000 homes, farms, and businesses had been left without power due to the weather.

Check out the forecast in your area

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Severe flooding in Irish street

“Crews will continue working late into the evening to restore power to most customers currently without supply,” it said.

“While we are doing everything we can, it is anticipated that some customers will be without supply overnight.”

The National Grid’s Electricity Distribution network which connects directly to homes and businesses in the Midlands, South West England and South Wales, confirmed there were 4,345 properties without power.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said his department would be “keeping in close touch with the energy companies”.

A Met Office spokesperson said winds of up to 82mph were recorded in Wales and 13cm of snow fell in Staffordshire on the first day of the weekend.

Corgarff Castle in Aberdeenshire, surrounded by snow on Friday. Storm Bert is battering the country with strong winds, heavy rain and snow and ice with amber warnings coming into force bringing a "potential risk to life and property". Picture date: Friday November 22, 2024.
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Corgarff Castle in Aberdeenshire. Pic: PA

Two areas in Ireland were issued a rare red warning for heavy rain, which expired at 10am.

London, East Anglia, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and swathes of the Midlands are the only parts of the UK with no current weather warnings in place.

The weather also brought significant disruption to attractions and events, with Edinburgh Zoo and Glasgow Christmas Market closed on Saturday.

People walk through the snowfall during Storm Bert, along Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Lesley Martin
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People walk through the snow in Edinburgh. Pic: Reuters

Also in Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council cancelled its annual Perth Christmas lights switch-on event over safety and travel concerns.

Blackburn Rovers postponed their Championship match against Portsmouth due to “torrential rain” which made the pitch “unplayable”.

A ‘multiple-hazard event’

Met Office meteorologist Jason Kelly described Storm Bert as a “multiple-hazard event”. Looking towards Sunday, he said rain is expected to become “particularly heavy and persistent”.

Accumulations of 50-75mm are expected to fall across the UK, with some places experiencing up to 100-150mm, Mr Kelly said.

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He added: “Rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend may bring flooding for some. Multiple National Severe Weather Warnings are in place and will be added to and amended over the weekend.”

Going into next week, the Met Office predicts sunny spells and showers.

The forecaster says rain and strong winds may reappear on Wednesday, spreading northeast across England and Wales.

Where the warnings are and when

South coast – A yellow warning for wind is in place for the entire south coast of England from 9am until 9pm on Sunday, with a slight chance of damage to buildings and power cuts.

South West – From 6am, a yellow warning for rain is in place in the southwest of England, from Cornwall up to Oxford and stretching to Portsmouth. This is in place until 11.45pm.

Wales – Heavy rain is likely to cause some travel disruption, particularly in South Wales, with a yellow warning across the country lasting 24 hours from 6am this morning.

Midlands, north and Scotland – A yellow warning for rain and snow reaching from Stoke and Nottingham up to all of Scotland started at 4am and stays in place until 9am on Sunday. Manchester, Liverpool and Hull are not affected.

Northern Ireland – A yellow warning for wind comes into force from 11am on Sunday until 6pm, bringing with it the potential of travel disruption.

Scottish Highlands – A second warning will last from midday to midnight on Sunday.

What the weather warnings mean

• Yellow – people are advised to check the details of the forecast and consider extra steps to minimise any impact, while disruption is likely, particularly for travel

• Amber – disruption is more likely and more widespread and people are advised to change plans impacted by weather

• Red – reserved for very dangerous weather that can pose a danger to life and cause substantial travel disruption

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UK on ‘slippery slope’ to ‘death on demand’, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

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UK on 'slippery slope' to 'death on demand', Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns ahead of assisted dying vote

The UK is on a “slippery slope towards death on demand”, according to the justice secretary ahead of a historic Commons vote on assisted dying.

In a letter to her constituents, Shabana Mahmood said she was “profoundly concerned” about the legislation.

“Sadly, recent scandals – such as Hillsborough, infected blood and the Post Office Horizon – have reminded us that the state and those acting on its behalf are not always benign,” she wrote.

“I have always held the view that, for this reason, the state should serve a clear role. It should protect and preserve life, not take it away.

“The state should never offer death as a service.”

Analysis: Justice secretary’s intervention is potentially embarrassing for the PM

On 29 November, MPs will be asked to consider whether to legalise assisted dying, through Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

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Minister ‘leans’ to assisted dying bill

Details of the legislation were published last week, including confirmation the medicine that will end a patient’s life will need to be self-administered and people must be terminally ill and expected to die within six months.

Ms Mahmood, however, said “predictions about life expectancy are often inaccurate”.

“Doctors can only predict a date of death, with any real certainty, in the final days of life,” she said. “The judgment as to who can and cannot be considered for assisted suicide will therefore be subjective and imprecise.”

Read more: Gordon Brown says assisted dying should not be legalised

Under the Labour MP’s proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.

The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.

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Details of end of life bill released

Read more: Where does the cabinet stand on assisted dying?

However, Ms Mahmood said she was concerned the legislation could “pressure” some into ending their lives.

“It cannot be overstated what a profound shift in our culture assisted suicide will herald,” she wrote.

“In my view, the greatest risk of all is the pressure the elderly, vulnerable, sick or disabled may place upon themselves.”

Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters
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Kim Leadbeater waits to present the Assisted Dying Bill. File pic: House of Commons/Reuters

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who put forward the bill, said some of the points Ms Mahmood raised have been answered “in the the thorough drafting and presentation of the bill”.

“The strict eligibility criteria make it very clear that we are only talking about people who are already dying,” she said.

“That is why the bill is called the ‘Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill’; its scope cannot be changed and clearly does not include any other group of people.

“The bill would give dying people the autonomy, dignity and choice to shorten their death if they wish.”

In response to concerns Ms Mahmood raised about patients being coerced into choosing assisted death, Ms Leadbeater said she has consulted widely with doctors and judges.

“Those I have spoken to tell me that they are well equipped to ask the right questions to detect coercion and to ascertain a person’s genuine wishes. It is an integral part of their work,” she said.

In an increasingly fractious debate around the topic, multiple Labour MPs have voiced their concerns.

In a letter to ministers on 3 October, the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case confirmed “the Prime Minister has decided to set aside collective responsibility on the merits of this bill” and that the government would “therefore remain neutral on the passage of the Bill and on the matter of assisted dying”.

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‘Immediate action’ taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

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'Immediate action' taken after blueprints of prisons in England and Wales leaked on dark web

“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.

The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.

The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.

Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.

The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.

A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”

The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is launching a sentencing review in a bid to ease the crisis.

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