Heartbreaking losses bringing I'm A Celeb Coleen Rooney and Barry McGuigan closer together

Both Barry McGuigan and Coleen Rooney stunned viewers connected past night's I'm A Celebrity erstwhile they each opened up astir their devastating losses of their daughter, and sister, respectively - and fans person praised them for their honesty

On Monday's I'm A Celebrity episode, Barry McGuigan opened astir about the decease of his beloved girl Danika successful 2019 - and instantly brought the federation to tears.

The 63-year-old boxer broke down arsenic helium had an affectional speech with his campmates astir his histrion daughter, who died astatine the property of 33 aft losing her conflict with cancer.

Danika - Nika to her household - was archetypal diagnosed with leukaemia aged conscionable 11 and was forced to acquisition brutal chemotherapy treatment. It impacted connected her education, arsenic she was retired of schoolhouse for 18 months.

Barry revealed to his campmates: "[Danika] had leukaemia, erstwhile I was making the boxing with Daniel Day Lewis. Three weeks from the extremity I had to permission due to the fact that she'd been diagnosed with leukaemia. They thought she wasn't going to get amended but she fought backmost and she won it. She had 2 years of chemo."

As tears started rolling down his face, Tulisa hugged him tightly arsenic Strictly Come Dancing ex-pro Oti Mabuse rubbed his back. "Thank you, you're each truthful lovely, I truly admit it," an affectional Barry told them.

Later successful the aforesaid episode, the dad-of-four opened up to Loose Women's Jane Moore astir Danika's 2nd brushwood with cancer, which she learned she had conscionable weeks earlier it claimed her life.

"She had pains successful her tummy but she was making the movie, she enactment it disconnected and went to the doctor, called america each in," helium recalled. "Stage 4 bowel cancer, 5 weeks, 5 weeks she died."

Danika, who appeared successful films including Philomena, Mammal and Wildlife, died surrounded by her "devastated" household successful 2019. She near down dada Barry, mum Sandra and her 3 brothers: Shane, Jake and Blane.

Barry had antecedently opened up astir the "sledgehammer" infinitesimal helium and woman Sandra archetypal heard of Nika's puerility diagnosis. "Finding retired that Danika had leukaemia was similar being deed with a sledgehammer," helium told The Sunday Times successful 2005.

"There's thing worse than your kid getting sick. No magnitude of warring successful the ringing could person prepared maine for it."

In a heartbreaking speech with her dad, young Nika promised him she wouldn't get sick again. "The connection "dynamo" doesn't bash her justice," helium said astatine the time. "With Danika the solid is ne'er half-empty and ne'er half-full. It's wholly full. In fact, it's astir apt spilling over."

And successful 2021, 2 years aft her tragic death, her dada said helium volition "never recover" from his loss. "I mislaid my girl 2 years ago, and it’s been shocking. I’ll ne'er retrieve from it," helium told Late Late Show big Ryan Tubridy. "I cognize determination are loads of parents who person mislaid their children and I cognize however devastating that is, however hard it is. My bosom goes retired to each of them.

"They volition recognize conscionable the symptom of everyday, it's the same. She was specified an important portion of our lives successful everything, adjacent my 4 grandchildren - my latest grandchild is Mila Nika McGuigan. And each clip I look astatine them I deliberation of her and she loved those kids. She loved Tadhg, who is my archetypal grandchild, who she loved and spent truthful overmuch clip with.

"She was specified a household person," helium added.

One of Barry's I'm A Celeb campmates who volition beryllium capable to empathise is Coleen Rooney, who has already shared her heartbreak astatine the nonaccomplishment of her sister Rosie McLoughlin. Rosie died successful 2013 astatine the property of 14 aft being calved with the uncommon encephalon upset Rett syndrome, which causes terrible disabilities.

Coleen's parents Colette and Tony McLoughlin adopted Rosie erstwhile she was 2 and cared for her for the full of her abbreviated life, including arsenic her wellness declined. In Coleen's Disney+ documentary, she revealed: "Rosie, she struggled. She couldn't locomotion and she couldn't talk. She would beryllium successful symptom and sick but she would inactive enactment a grin connected her face.

"Rett syndrome is simply a familial disorder, sometimes she utilized to unit a laughter out, I deliberation to marque maine mum and dada happy. Gradually her encephalon wasn't functioning and she couldn't devour anymore, she couldn't crawl anymore."

Opening up astir her sister connected I'm A Celebrity, Coleen said: "I don't usually get worked up, it takes maine a lot. Even erstwhile Rosie died, I kept it unneurotic for maine mum and dad.

"When you're distant and successful antithetic environments, it's erstwhile you stop. She was 14 erstwhile she died, she'd beryllium 26 now," she said, adding: "It's hard to suffer a child, I've ever said that… So we're fortunate to person what we've got."

As Coleen herself started tearing up, the mum-of-four added: "To suffer a kid is the worst happening that could ever hap to anyone. But erstwhile you look backmost now, she gave america truthful galore bully years of happiness and love."

*I'm A Celebrity continues contiguous astatine 9pm connected ITV