Jonnie Irwin is best known for presenting the home-leg of Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun: Home or Away?
It's not surprising that Jonnie chose a career in property, with a dad as a developer and a degree in estate management. This experienced surveyor worked for Christie & Co achieving the role of Associate Director within just three years before going on to work for Colliers International - one of the world's largest property firms.
During his career Jonnie has valued, acquired and sold all types of
property both in the UK and overseas, however his main area of expertise
lies in advising companies such as shops, pubs and hotels on buying
and selling their business and property both in the UK and abroad.
It was a natural step for Jonnie to want to share his breath of knowledge with a wider audience so when the opportunity arose to apply for a presenting role on A Place in the Sun: Home or Away? Jonnie picked up a camcorder and went to his local shopping mall where he interviewed members of the public.
Channel 4 immediately saw his potential and hired him and nine years later A Place in the Sun: Home or Away? remains a key show for the broadcaster. Jonnie has since gone on to present the Florida episodes of A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun where he went house-hunting with five couples in the sunshine state.
Jonnie's talent didn't go unnoticed with other broadcasters jumping at the chance to employ him on a whole host of other property shows including the BBC's To buy or not to buy, Escape to the Country, Wreck or Ready and Cowboy Trap, Sky1's Dream Lives for Sale, Home TV's Make my house bigger and a further Channel 4 show, The Renovation Game - all whilst still finding time to run his property and business transfer firms, write a column for A Place in the Sun magazine and appear at the twice-yearly A Place in the Sun Live exhibitions.
Jonnie is a keen sportsman with a particular love for rugby, although he retired from the sport after a serious accident in a sevens tournament where he fractured his spine. It hasn't slowed him down though and as well as supporting Leicester Tigers and Tottenham Hotspur, Jonnie still snowboards several times a year in Europe or Canada and plays cricket throughout the summer months. He joins other celebrities for the annual Sticky Wicket Cricket Tournament in aid of The Lord's Taverners - a youth cricket and disabled sports charity. His other charitable work has involved the Children Walking Tall project in Goa, India and running the Birmingham half marathon for the Spinal Injuries Association.
How he finds time to travel for fun, we've no idea, but with an insatiable appetite for seeing the world, Jonnie has been around the globe indulging in his passions of snowboarding, scuba diving and pottering around India on a beautiful Royal Enfield motorcycle.
In February 2013 Jonnie was awarded an honorary doctorate for outstanding services to the property sector at a ceremony held at Birmingham City University.