ITV I'm A Celeb's Barry McGuigan says 'never again' as he opens up on daughter's death

Former professional boxer and I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Barry McGuigan has opened up about his fears of being away from home following the tragic loss of his daughter Danika. The 33-year-old actress passed away in 2019, just five weeks after being diagnosed with bowel cancer.

In an emotional conversation with his fellow campmates, Barry, 63, shared that Danika had previously overcome leukaemia at the age of 11, undergoing two years of chemotherapy. He recalled the difficult time, saying: "It was hard for weeks in the hospital, just watching, shocking".

After Danika's initial diagnosis, Barry "dropped everything" and flew back home to England, vowing never to spend a night away from his family again. In an interview with The Times, he revealed: "After what happened to Nika, I never stayed away ever again. I always wanted to be in my own bed, to be there if anything happened."

The loss of his daughter has had a profound impact on Barry, who has a tattoo of her face on his arm, reports Belfast Live.

He added: "That was the single biggest disaster in our lives. I don't know how long God will spare us but we will never, ever recover from the devastation of losing that child.

"I would give up anything to reverse that. But I know it's not possible. So, we go on and in many ways I owe it to her to go on, to be successful and help the boys be successful."

Barry found support among his I'm A Celebrity campmates after he shared his story about Danika's cancer struggles on the show. N-Dubz's Tulisa Contostavlos expressed her support by saying, "You're a man going through pain and you're vulnerable about it, that takes strength. There are no rules to grieving... it's a reflection of your love."

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! is set to air again at 9pm tonight on ITV One.