Barry McGuigan's late daughter Danika made a poignant vow to her father before she tragically passed away.
The 63 year old former boxing champion and his wife Sandra, tied the knot in 1981, were heartbroken when their daughter Danika – also lovingly called Nika – died at age 33 after a valiant struggle with cancer.
Speaking in an interview back in 2005, Barry recounted the traumatic time when they learned of Danika's leukaemia diagnosis: "Finding out that Danika had leukaemia was like being hit with a sledgehammer. There's nothing worse than your child getting sick. No amount of fighting in the ring could have prepared me for it."
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Barry opened up about a devastating promise his daughter made to him before she lost her battle against the illness.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, he revealed a moment of heartbreaking resilience: "After about a year and a half out of school, Danika returned to school - and in a heartbreaking conversation with her father - said she wouldn't get sick again. She just got on with her life."
Barry continued to reflect on his daughter's inspiring outlook on life: "She found a love of drama and is now at acting school in Dublin. The word 'dynamo' doesn't do her justice. With Danika the glass is never half-empty and never half-full. It's completely full. In fact, it's probably spilling over."
Barry is one of the stars who headed to Australia to join the latest series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, reports the Mirror hosted by presenting duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
He is among the star-studded lineup this year which includes N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos, Corrie’s Alan Halsall, and Strictly sensation Oti Mabuse.
During the emotional episode of I'm A Celeb on Monday night, Barry shared his heart-wrenching story with radio host Dean McCullough. The sports legend revealed: "I used to go to church a lot but after my daughter... you know, not so much."
He opened up about his daughter's battle with leukaemia during the time he was filming with Daniel Day Lewis, saying: "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."
As Barry struggled to hold back tears, his fellow campmates, including Danny Jones and Tulisa Contostavlos, were quick to offer their support, leading to a touching moment where Barry expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, you're all so lovely, I really appreciate it."
Barry also spoke fondly of his late daughter Danika, who was an actress known for her role as Danielle Mullane in Can't Cope, Won't Cope and posthumously awarded Best Actress at the 2021 IFTA Awards for her performance in Wildfire.
The conversation took a sombre turn as Barry recounted Danika's second cancer diagnosis to Jane Moore from Loose Women: "She 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 she died."
Coleen Rooney opened up to Dean and Oti Mabuse about her own heartache, sharing the poignant story of her sister's passing. She reflected on the tough times saying, "Even when Rosie died, I kept it together for my mum and dad."
Coleen continued with a touching tribute: "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."
The emotional revelations left viewers in tears, with one I'm A Celeb fan posting on social media, "Na this episode has got me on an emotional rollercoaster #ImACeleb."
Another shared their heartbreak, "Oh my God my heart is breaking for Barry McGuigan." While another expressed sympathy, "Barry my heart man #ImACeleb #ImACelebrity."
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