Jonnie Irwin marked a poignant family milestone on Monday with his eldest son, Rex, four, on what appeared to be his final day at nursery.
Taking to Instagram, the father-of-three posted a string of photos documenting the precious family milestone. Amongst the pictures, Jonnie, who is currently battling terminal cancer, opted to post a heartwarming snapshot of himself grinning from ear to ear as he rode on his bike behind little Rex.
Meanwhile, in a separate image, doting dad Jonnie posed for a selfie with his eldest son as they made their way through a leafy park. Rex looked particularly endearing in his batman bicycle helmet whilst dad Jonnie was all smiles.
"Last EVER ride to nursery with Rex," he noted in his emotional caption. "Suitably waved off by Rafa and his spade and Rex with his game face on!"
© InstagramThe update quickly garnered thousands of likes, with many followers leaving touching messages in the comments section of the post.
Impressed by his parenting skills, one fan wrote: "Jonnie, those boys will learn so much about your strength & tenacity, memories to last them their lifetime. You're truly inspirational and what a daddy you have shown them to be," while a second remarked: "Jonnie you are just an awesome daddy, and those boys are a credit to you!!"
A third gushed: "Aww that's beautiful," and a fourth added: "Creating memories for your children to cherish," followed by a red heart emoji.
© InstagramJonnie, who shares Rex and three-year old twins Rafa and Cormac with his wife Jessica first went public with his cancer diagnosis in November 2022 after keeping his illness private for two years.
Sharing his story with HELLO!, he said: "I don't know how long I have left, but I try to stay positive, and my attitude is that I'm living with cancer, not dying from it.
© Instagram"But now I want to make plans. 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."
Since his heartbreaking diagnosis, Jonnie has been incredibly candid about his cancer battle. And back in July, the TV star spoke about his palliative care during an interview on BBC One's Morning Live.
© InstagramSpeaking to Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton, the Escape to the Country star said: "I'm really good. I have up days and down days but today is very much an up day. The family is great and very noisy."
Jonnie went on to speak about palliative care, which he has been using ever since he was first diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
"I've been in palliative care since day one," he explained. "It can take many guises, palliative care through the hospital, chemotherapy treatment, all the way to the hospice."
© BBCSharing a glimpse inside his hospice, Jonnie said: "My hospice is a delight, actually. I wouldn't say it's like a hotel but it's like a very nice private hospital.
"My perception of a hospice was very much a boiling hot room full of people that look frail and are towards the end of their days. This is nothing of the sort. It is spacious, energised, and comfortable."
