How I’m A Celebrity’s Barry McGuigan hailed ‘dynamo’ daughter Danika before her death aged 33

On Monday night’s occurrence of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Barry McGuigan was successful tears arsenic helium opened up astir the nonaccomplishment of his girl Danika McGuigan.

Danika, who was an actress, died successful 2019 astatine the property of 33, 5 weeks aft being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

Viewers watching the ITV programme expressed their heartbreak for Barry, 63, praising the erstwhile nonrecreational boxer for being truthful unfastened astir his grief and the different celebrities successful campy for supporting him.

Prior to her death, Danika starred successful aggregate films and TV shows, receiving a posthumous pb histrion grant for her last show successful the Irish thriller Wildfire.

She was antecedently diagnosed with leukaemia erstwhile she was 11 years old, recovering from the unwellness aft 2 years of chemotherapy.

Who was Barry McGuigan’s girl Danika?

Danika, besides known arsenic Nika, was calved successful Northern Ireland connected January 4, 1986, the girl of Barry and his woman Sandra.

The actress, who starred successful films including Philomena, Wildfire and Mammal, had 3 brothers, including boxing trainer Shane McGuigan.

She attended the Gaiety School of Acting and Bow Street Academy successful Dublin (formerly known arsenic The Factory).

Danika’s earliest relation was successful a 2000 movie called Malicious Intent, earlier going connected to look successful shows including The Tudors, Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before and DAni’s House.

In 2013, she played Bridie successful Philomena, an Oscar-nominated movie which besides starred Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.

Danika’s last movie relation was arsenic a pb successful the 2020 thriller Wildfire, for which she was posthumously awarded the pb histrion accolade astatine the Irish Film & Television Academy Film & Drama Awards.

Cathay Brady, who directed the film, said that it was ‘written for Nika’, stating, according to The Irish Times: ‘I workshopped it with her and her co-star, Nora-Jane Noone, and we spent 5 years crafting it.

‘As an actress, Nika had a singular alchemy of spot and courageousness with the quality to beryllium susceptible and to beryllium seen to beryllium vulnerable.’

When was Danika diagnosed with cancer?

When she was 11 years old, Danika was diagnosed with leukaemia and she underwent 2 years of chemotherapy astatine St Bartholomew’s Hospital successful London earlier recovering.

Speaking successful the jungle connected I’m A Celebrity, Barry opened up astir what it was similar erstwhile his girl was diagnosed with crab arsenic a child, portion helium was making the 1997 sports play The Boxer.

‘She had leukaemia, erstwhile I was making The Boxer with Daniel Day Lewis, 3 weeks from the extremity I had to permission due to the fact that she’d been diagnosed with leukaemia,’ helium said.

‘They thought she wasn’t going to get better, but she fought backmost and she won it. She had 2 years of chemo but she was good.’

In 2011, Barry spoke astir the interaction of the charity CLIC Sargent, besides known arsenic Young Lives vs Cancer, aft helium was announced arsenic a patron.

‘I cognize first-hand astir the captious enactment CLIC Sargent provides for families affected by puerility cancer, due to the fact that it helped our household erstwhile my girl Danika was diagnosed with leukaemia astatine the property of 11,’ helium said astatine the time.

In 2019, Danika died astatine the property of 33, 5 weeks aft being diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer.

Barry told the different stars connected I’m A Celebrity that his girl had gone to spot a doc aft experiencing ‘pains successful her tummy’ portion she was making a movie.

‘She enactment it disconnected and went to the doctor, called america each in. Stage 4 bowel cancer, 5 weeks, 5 weeks she died,’ helium said.

What has Barry McGuigan said astir his daughter’s death?

Following Danika’s decease 5 years ago, a connection was released by her family, which 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 23rd 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. The McGuigan family.’

In 2021, Barry appeared connected The Late Late Show successful Ireland, wherever helium spoke astir his girl and his grief implicit his death.

‘I cognize determination are loads of parents who person mislaid their children and I cognize however devastating that is, however hard it is,’ helium told the big Ryan Tubridy implicit video call.

‘My bosom goes retired to each of them. They’ll know, they’ll recognize conscionable the symptom of each time it’s the same.;

Barry emphasised however ‘important’ Danika was successful their lives, and however overmuch she loved his grandchildren, saying that she was ‘such a household person’.

In 2005, the erstwhile nonrecreational boxer told The Sunday Times that uncovering retired that Danika had been diagnosed with leukaemia arsenic a kid was ‘like being deed with a sledgehammer’.

He besides told the publication: ‘She recovered a emotion of play and is present astatine acting schoolhouse successful Dublin.

‘The connection “dynamo” doesn’t bash her justice. 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.’

In the aforesaid interview, Danika spoke astir however overmuch of an ‘inspiration’ her dada was to her.

‘What I respect astir Dad is his determination. If helium decides he’s going to bash something, helium does it,’ she told the newspaper.

She continued: ‘When I got leukaemia I recovered myself applying that aforesaid intelligence approach. It was thing we each applied successful our family, due to the fact that I’m definite the quality of my leukaemia deed them hard.

‘Until my diagnosis, crab has been this immense atrocious happening successful our family, due to the fact that my dad’s begetter and my mum’s begetter died of it. They were some rather young. But I got the all-clear successful 1999. I cognize however fortunate I americium and I cognize there’s been 1 fig who, throughout, has been a immense inspiration to me. That’s my dad.’

Following the occurrence of I’m A Celebrity wherever Barry opened up to the different campmates astir his loss, his lad Shane commented connected the clip connected Instagram: ‘Thank you to each the different campy mates comforting Dad. We admit it immensely 💔💔.’

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns contiguous astatine 9pm connected ITV1 and ITVX.

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