Barry McGuigan Shares Heartfelt Reflections on Daughter’s Passing on I'm a Celebrity

During an appearance on I'm a Celebrity, former professional boxer Barry McGuigan opened out about the death of his daughter. Get me out of here!

 

In 2019, actress Danika McGuigan died five weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 33.

 

She played Danielle in the BBC Three comedy Can't Cope, Won't Cope and has also acted in several films.

 

McGuigan told his jungle campmates on the ITV reality show an emotional story of how she recovered from cancer as a child after two years of therapy. 

She had leukemia; when I was filming The Boxer with Daniel Day-Lewis, I had to leave three weeks before the finish because she'd been diagnosed with leukemia; they believed she wouldn't recover, but she fought back and won," he recalled.

 

"She had two years of chemo, she was good, she came back."

 

When the Irishman became distraught, his campmates offered him comfort.

 

"You're a man going through pain, and vulnerability requires fortitude. "There are no rules to grieving... it's a reflection of your love," N-Dubz actress Tulisa Contostavlos explained. 

"It was hard for weeks in the hospital, just watching, shocking," McGuigan added, sobbing.

 

"Thank you, you're all so lovely, I appreciate it," he said afterward.

 

McGuigan, a former professional boxer who won the World Featherweight Championship in 1985, appears in the 24th season of the reality television show alongside Danny Jones from McFly, TV personality Jane Moore, and Coleen Rooney.

 

Later in the episode, Rooney, who is married to ex-England footballer Wayne Rooney, felt sad at the death of her sister Rosie after McGuigan mentioned Danika.

 

"She was 14 when she died; she would be 26 today. "It's difficult to lose a child, I've always said that... so we're fortunate to have what we have," she remarked. 

Rosie has a rare genetic disease known as Rett syndrome.

 

When she died in 2013, Rooney said on social media that she and her family were "absolutely heartbroken to have lost our angel Rosie... we love you more than words can say."

 

Rett syndrome is a neurological condition that results in severe physical and communication difficulties. It affects approximately one in every 10,000 girls born each year and seldom happens in boys. 

Separately, Rooney described coming to court in the libel trial against Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester City star Jamie Vardy, as her "worst nightmare."

 

Rooney accused Vardy of disclosing her private information to the public, and a judge determined that her post alleging this was the case was "substantially true".

 

A campmate questioned whether she was apprehensive about making the social media post. 

"No, because I just didn't think it would have the impact it did, because I was just that sick and tired of it, it was draining," Rooney told the press.

 

She said, "What got me over the whole thing was that it became a bit of a joke, which is disappointing because it wasn't a joke for me."

 

"...But no one knew the full story."