Jonnie Irwin has shared his thoughts on the treatments and methods that have been advised to him over the years during his battle with terminal cancer.
The A Place in the Sun star was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in 2020 but went public with his diagnosis in late 2022 when the illness had spread to his brain.
Nearly four years on from his initial diagnosis, Irwin has been open with his alternative methods of treating his illness, using the help of "hyperbaric oxygen, [intravenous] Vitamin C and Reiki" among other drugs and treatments.
Speaking with Jane McLelland on her podcast Conversations with Jane McLelland, the pair discussed how the NHS often refused to advise such methods and focus heavily and tried and tested drugs as well as diet.
Irwin opened up: "It's a strange relationship with all alternative therapies and diets and whatever (from) the standard NHS. I've got an excellent oncologist and he's top of his game. He supports me in everything I do.
"I run past him what alternative drugs I'm taking to make sure he's okay with it. He can't prescribe it, he can't say, 'Take that!' because he's got rules and regulations and I appreciate and honour that. But he can say, 'That's not good'."
Jonnie Irwin often shares updates from the treatment he's undergoing
INSTAGRAM/JONNIE IRWIN
As the conversation moved on, McLelland mentioned how she feared her campaigns to get said methods recognised by health bodies would be "taken down", to which Irwin picked up on her wording.
"I mean, I've spoken to a lot of people in this industry and I'm lucky that my profile opens doors to people who, let's say, are at the high end of their own practices, if you like, and specialists," he said.
"But the more I research and the more I speak to people on the alternative side outside the 'take your pill from the NHS', the more I am wary of the interests of big pharma and when you say 'they', I assume it's one driven by big pharma.
"What you're doing is educating people that there are other ways that can help," he continued before McLelland added it "frustrated" her that doctors "wouldn't take a chance" with new treatments, especially for stage four patients.
Delving into his own experience, Irwin said: "I'm lucky. My oncologist, I can speak openly to him and he's quite high up as well. But I know the restrictions that are put upon him and he can't say certain things to me and I appreciate that but likewise I want him to be aware of all that I do.
"I show him all of what I'm doing and what I'm taking and I sometimes say, 'I'm gonna go get some treatment' and he'll be like, 'Oh, I'm not sure about that but take care' or I'll show him certain medications that I'm taking and he'll say, 'Yeah, that's not interfering... but be careful of that one, we'll monitor your bloods'.
"He'll do what he can do and I appreciate all of his honesty...
"But I think anybody working for the NHS or in the UK, they're not allowed to step outside the box."
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Jonnie Irwin has opened up about his experience with cancer treatment
INSTAGRAM/JONNIE IRWIN
McLelland is the author of the book How to Starve Cancer and has campaigned for years for "off-label drugs" to be recognised as an effective cancer treatment.
A two-time cancer sufferer herself, McLelland puts her recovery down to her own research and a cocktail of cancer-starving formulas consisting of natural therapies, exercise and diet as well as combinations of old drugs she'd been using.
While not a doctor, Irwin made clear he was a fan of McLelland's work when he joined her for the podcast.
His latest interview comes just weeks after he and his family celebrated his 50th birthday with a sun-soaked holiday in Spain.