Former boxing champion Barry McGuigan has laid bare the grief he experienced after losing his daughter, in a touching exchange with his fellow campmates on I’m A Celebrity.
The 63-year-old is one of a handful of celebrities entering the Australian jungle over the weekend, to take part in a series of gruelling challenges.
While the launch episode saw the stars drink gruesome cocktails and skydive out of helicopters, the latest episode saw more reflective conversations taking place as the group bonded.
Northern Irish BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough, who has become an early fan-favourite, initiated the conversation on Monday night (18 November) as he asked McGuigan if he goes to church.
“I used to go to church a lot but after my daughter… you know, not so much,” the former boxer replied as he explained the health issues that preceded her death.
“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.”
McGuigan’s only daughter Danika died in July 2019, aged 33. She recovered from leukaemia after being diagnosed at the age of 11, but she was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2019, and died within a month.
The boxer, who previously told Belfast Live, “I’ll never recover from it,” broke down in tears as his fellow contestants McFly singer Danny Jones and N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos rallied together to console him.
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“Thank you, you’re all so lovely, I really appreciate it,” he said as they hugged him.
He told Loose Women host Jane Moore that his daughter, who was filming at the time, 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 was also left moved as she opened up to McCullough and Strictly’s Oti Mabuse about the death of her sister.
“Even when Rosie died, I kept it together for me mum and dad,” she said.
“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.”
He said, “I’ve tried to talk about but no matter what I do, it just all comes back.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.