Jonnie Irwin is one of A Place in the Sun's longest running TV presenters. He first appeared on the show in 2004 alongside Jasmine Harman in A Place in the Sun: Home or Away meeting Jasmine for the first time on location in South Africa.
Jonnie filmed hundreds of episodes for the award-winning Channel 4 series and helped countless house hunters find their dream properties overseas, using his background in property and surveying.
Jonnie grew up on a small farm and stables in Leicestershire. Always outdoors, he would play as much of any kind of sport as possible with his main focus rugby playing as a junior for Lutterworth Rugby Club and eventually senior rugby for Rugby Lions RFC.
He studied Estate Management at Birmingham City University and secured his first job with Christie and Co, a surveying and business transfer specialist, where he acquired the knowledge and passion for the world of business and property. After six years and having become associate director and manager, Jonnie was approached to help set up the hotels and leisure department of commercial estate agent Colliers in Birmingham.
Jonnie’s career took a completely new direction in 2004 when he landed the role of joint presenter of a new Channel 4 TV show A Place In The Sun: Home or Away? receiving a TV Award in his second series. It wasn't long before he was offered other shows and presented programmes for the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky 1. Alongside A Place in the Sun Jonnie was one of the lead presenters of the BBC's flagship property show Escape to the Country.
Jonnie first worked on A Place in the Sun Live events in 2006 and was a regular at the exhibitions in Manchester, London and Birmingham until 2023 imparting advice on stage to would-be overseas property buyers, chatting with anyone and everyone who sought him out. Never short of words of encouragement, he nudged many people into finally taking the plunge and either buying a holiday home or making a permanent move overseas.
Jonnie also became the face of aplaceinthesun.com and more recently A Place in the Sun Currency working with the digital and currency teams to again help buyers find their very own……place in the sun.
Jonnie married his wife Jess in 2016 and after the lovely Rex came along Jonnie was delighted, surprised and a little nervous about the arrival of twin boys Rafa and Cormac. Settling into the north-east, Jonnie enjoyed a loving domestic life in a home he spent his last few years renovating for his family.
A life-long Spurs fan and cricket enthusiast, Jonnie had friends from all walks of life and could be ‘a gentleman among horse thieves and a horse thief among gentlemen,’ always ready with his wit, humour and grace to puncture pomposity and support the underdog. He was funny, irreverent and both interested and interesting, his talent as a presenter underlined by the rare ability to connect and engage with his audience. His passing is ever more painful for viewers who felt they knew him.
When Jonnie and Jess considered their future together they planned for many things but not the tragic end brought on by Jonnie’s illness. Jess and her wider family provided him with love and support throughout this traumatic period and retain Jonnie in their hearts. We wish them all the strength and resilience Jonnie displayed and think of them as we remember our friend and colleague, Jonnie Irwin.
