Barry McGuigan's agonising family tragedy and why he'll never come to terms with daughter's death

Irish boxing fable Barry McGuigan is heading into the jungle for this year's bid of I'm A Celebrity, but he's inactive grieving the nonaccomplishment of his girl and doubts helium volition ever travel to presumption with it

I'm A Celebrity contestant Barry McGuigan said helium volition ne'er "come to terms" with his daughter's death, aft she passed distant successful 2019.

The erstwhile boxer has arrived successful Australia, up of his stint connected the ITV world show. But Barry is inactive navigating the nonaccomplishment of his girl Danika "Nika" McGuigan. She died successful July 2019 aged conscionable 33, a period aft she was diagnosed with cancer. Danika was the lone girl of the Irish boxing fable and his woman Sandra, who besides stock 3 sons.

Nika was diagnosed with acute lymphoid leukaemia erstwhile she was 11 years old, but aft 2 years of treatment, recovered from her illness. She went connected to go an actress, starring successful Jim Sheridan’s The Secret Scripture with Hollywood prima Rooney Mara and Midsommar histrion Jack Reynor.

But Barry's beloved daughter's beingness was tragically chopped abbreviated erstwhile the illness returned, with Barry, 63, marking the day of her decease connected societal media successful July past year. He wrote connected Twitter: "It’s hard to judge that it’s 4 years contiguous Nika since your passing. Don’t deliberation we volition ever travel to presumption with it. We emotion and miss you each day."

The "devastated" household shared the quality successful a connection successful 2019, telling fans they were each with her until the end. It read: "It is with large sadness and dense hearts that we stock the quality of the passing of our beauteous girl and sister, Danika 'Nika' McGuigan. After a little but brave conflict against cancer, Nika passed distant peacefully successful the aboriginal hours of Tuesday 23 July, surrounded by her loving family. As a household we are devastated and inquire for implicit privateness during this hard play to let america to grieve for our Nika.”

Barry antecedently opened up astir the nonaccomplishment of Nika successful 2021. As reported by Belfast Live, helium explained however "tough" the modulation to unrecorded without his girl has been. He said: "I mislaid my girl 2 years agone and it’s been shocking. I'll ne'er retrieve from it. My beingness volition spell connected but I’ll ne'er beryllium the aforesaid due to the fact that household means everything to me.

"She was specified a large kid. She had a pugnacious beingness each her life. She had fever convulsions astatine 9 months; she was dormant connected accomplishment astatine the infirmary and they got her bosom going again; she had leukaemia astatine 11, they said she would ne'er get done it and she got done it.

"I get precise upset astir it. I effort my champion not to. I think, ‘I don’t privation to outcry again.’ But, yeah, tough. Very tough. If this had happened to maine during my career, I could ne'er person continued with that. I don’t cognize if I could person recovered from that arsenic a fighter."

Barry McGuigan volition participate the I'm A Celebrity jungle connected Sunday night, alongside distant comparative Coleen Rooney.

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