ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death

Barry McGuigan and daughter Nika (Image: Twitter)

Boxing icon Barry McGuigan was left heartbroken following the tragic death of his daughter, Danika, at 33 after her brave cancer battle. The former featherweight world champion and his wife Sandra have had to cope with the harrowing loss since 2019; Danika, lovingly dubbed Nika, had fought valiantly against her illness.

Joining I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! on Sunday evening (November 17), the 63 year old sports legend recalled the gut-wrenching moment they learned of Danika's leukaemia diagnosis. In a 2005 interview, he said: "Finding out that Danika had leukaemia was like being hit with a sledgehammer.

"There's nothing worse than your child getting sick. No amount of fighting in the ring could have prepared me for it."

Barry revealed to the Sunday Times the poignant promise a resilient Danika made before she passed away: "After about a year and a half out of school, Danika returned to school. She just got on with her life."

Her zest for life unabated, Barry added: "She found a love of drama and is now at acting school in Dublin. The word 'dynamo' doesn't do her justice. With Danika the glass is never half-empty and never half-full. It's completely full. In fact, it's probably spilling over," reports the Mirror.

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Barry entered the I'm a Celeb jungle (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

The sporting legend is amongst the A-listers this year on the gripping reality show hosted by Ant and Dec. He shares the limelight with celebrities such as N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos, Corrie's Alan Halsall, and Strictly ace Oti Mabuse.

During an emotional segment on Monday's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Barry opened up about the heart-wrenching loss of his daughter in a candid conversation with radio host Dean McCullough. The camp watched in silence as Dean enquired about Barry's church attendance, prompting the sports legend to reveal: "I used to go to church a lot but after my daughter... you know, not so much."

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Barry McGuigan, visibly moved, recounted the tragic story of his daughter's battle with leukaemia: "She had leukaemia, when I was making the boxing with Daniel Day Lewis, three weeks from the end I had to leave because she'd been diagnosed with leukaemia, they thought she wasn't going to get better but she fought back and she won it. She had two years of chemo."

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As he broke down, fellow campmates, including Danny Jones and Tulisa Contostavlos, were quick to offer their support, embracing him as he expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, you're all so lovely, I really appreciate it."

Danika McGuigan, who passed away, was celebrated for her acting talent, notably for her role as Danielle Mullane in Can't Cope, Won't Cope, and posthumously winning Best Actress at the 2021 IFTA Awards for her performance in Wildfire.

In a further heart-to-heart with Jane Moore from Loose Women, Barry shared the devastating details of Danika's second cancer diagnosis which occurred during a film project: "She had pains in her tummy but she was making the movie, she put it off and went to the doctor, called us all in. Stage 4 bowel cancer, 5 weeks, 5 weeks she died."

Coleen Rooney shared a deeply personal account of loss with Dean and Oti Mabuse, stirring profound emotions. Recounting her sister's death, Coleen said: "Even when Rosie died, I kept it together for me mum and dad."

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She continued: "She was 14 when she died, she'd be 26 now. It's hard to lose a child, I've always said that... so we're lucky to have what we've got."

Viewers at home were visibly moved by the heartfelt narrative, with tears streaming down the faces of many. Social media was awash with reactions from 'I'm A Celeb' fans, one tweeting: "Na this episode has got me on an emotional rollercoaster #ImACeleb."

Others shared their sorrow, with one viewer posting: "Oh my God my heart is breaking for Barry McGuigan."

While another expressed: "Barry my heart man #ImACeleb #ImACelebrity."

ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death

ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death

ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death

ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death

ITV I'm a Celeb's Barry McGuigan's daughter made heartbreaking promise before death