Boxer Barry McGuigan has bravely opened up about the death of his daughter Danika to his fellow campmates in the I'm A Celebrity jungle.
The 33-year-old tragically lost her battle with bowel cancer after beating leukaemia as a child, and throughout Barry's turmoil there has always been a staple in his life, his beloved wife Sandra.
© ITV/ShutterstockHe and his childhood sweetheart Sandra tied the knot in 1981 when he was just 20. They lived in Clones, Ireland and speaking about his wife, Barry has said: "We grew up together, buddies from kids."
As well as their late daughter whose nickname was 'Nika', they share three sons, Shane, Jake, and Blain.
© Gareth CattermoleBarry and Sandra now live a very secluded life away from the limelight in Dargate, Kent and being away from home, all the way Down Under is a big deal for the star as after Danika's death he liked to stay at home "in case something happened".
COPING WITH GRIEF: I’ll never forget the acts of kindness from people when I lost my mum
The champion boxer broke down in the jungle when he spoke about his horrific family loss. He explained that Danika was ill when she was a child too: "She had leukaemia, when I was making the movie The Boxer 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, she was good, she came back."
© Stefan Rousseau - PA ImagesIan interview with Belfast Live in 2021, Barry said: "I lost my daughter two years ago, and it’s been shocking. I'll never recover from it. My life will go on, but I’ll never be the same because family means everything to me."
When Barry broke the news to the world, he penned: "The most difficult thing I've ever had to do was to say goodbye to my amazing daughter Nika earlier this week. She has been a shining light in our family's lives for the past 33 years.
© Niall Carson - PA Images"Nika was an extremely talented and inspirational young lady who radiated kindness and love. Our hearts are broken and we know that life will never be the same again for us. However, Nika lives on in so many parts of our lives which we are grateful for. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who sent flowers, cards, Mass cards, Instagram messages, Facebook, Twitter, texts and email messages of condolences and support."
Suffering with grief? Call a helpline like Cruse Bereavement Care on 0808 808 1677 or reach out to friends and family to talk.
