Barry McGuigan reduced I'm A Celebrity campmates and viewers to tears as he shared the heartbreaking last words of his late daughter.
The 63-year-old sporting legend and his wife Sandra, who he married in 1981, welcomed four children together with sons Shane, Jake, Blain, and daughter Danika - who was affectionately called Nika. But the couple and their family were left heartbroken in 2019 when Nika passed away at the age of 33 after a battle against cancer.
In emotional scenes that aired on the ITV show on Monday night, Barry candidly shared the final words of his daughter as she slipped away. Bringing tears to the fellow celebrities around him and the viewers watching at home, Barry recalled she said, "Mum, I can't hold on" before slipping away.
With his campmates around him, Barry said: “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.”
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ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Barry went on to tell Loose Women star Jane Moore 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, 5 weeks she died.” His story left the fellow stars in tears and they flocked around him to offer him hugs and support.
Viewers were moved by his story - with many taking to X to admit they had been reduced to tears bt his story. One viewer wrote: "Barry man.. don’t do this to me. That’s actually heartbreaking. No parent should ever lose their child. #ImACeleb." Another typed: "#ImACeleb bloody hell, Barry. You got me out the blue there." Another viewer commented: "Oh my God my heart is breaking for Barry McGuigan #imacelebrity #ImACeleb."
Others praised the fellow celebrities for supporting him, with one writing: "Great to see fellow camp mates reach out to Barry, his grief is still very raw & the loss of a child must be horrific. Very difficult, I hope he gets to a place where he has some solace. #TeamBarry #ImACeleb." And another wrote: "Barry took the whole camp and everyone watching down with him. Grief catches you when it catches you #ImACeleb."
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ITV/REX/Shutterstock)When Nika died, Barry broke the news at the time on social media. Sharing a photo of him with his daughter, the star wrote: "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."
The boxer added: "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."
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