The late Jonnie Irwin was lovingly remembered during a fundraising cricket match held in his honour, following his tragic passing earlier this year. The TV presenter, who was 50 at the time of his death, became a household name after hosting shows including Escape To The Country and A Place In The Sun. The well-loved TV star was diagnosed with lung cancer four years before he sadly lost his battle to the disease.
And in memory of the married father of three, friends, family and colleagues organised a cricket match held at Gumley Cricket Club, where Jonnie had previously played. The match was to raise money for ALK Positive, which is a charity that helps those living with lung cancer. One of his pals, Matt Wilson who helped organise the match said: "He would have absolutely loved today.
Jonnie was a remarkable person, and many people will have seen him on TV and seen how he was there. But in normal life, he had a waspish sense of humour; he absolutely loved practical jokes and winding people up." Jonnie's university friend Stuart Kane added: "He was brave.
The way he put it to me was 'This is coming for me, Stuart, but I'm going to keep running. It will catch up with me eventually, but I'm going to run as fast as I can'. And he was a fast runner!" Louise Patel, who worked with Jonnie, recalled her own memory of the TV star as she said: "He was really talented, and he made people feel really special.
I don't think I have ever laughed as much with anyone as I did with Jonnie." I.