Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Im A Celebrity, Reality TV, Mental Health
Britt Jones
While we’ve only seen two episodes of the latest I'm A Celeb series, but there was a particular moment with Barry McGuigan that brought forward a mental health charity to comment on the scene.
It was when the former boxer opened up about the tragic passing of his daughter Danika McGuigan in 2019 that we saw the campmates rally around each other.
Danika was just 33 when she passed away, following a bowel cancer battle.
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Last night's show (18 November) led to viewers reaching for the tissues as they watched Barry tell his story and praise his strength.
As it was only five years ago, he is still battling with his grief over losing his daughter.
Before her passing, ‘Nika’ was an actress and took on a role as Danielle Mullane in the popular comedy-drama series Can't Cope, Won't Cope, and also featured in Philomena and The Secret Scripture.
In a cruel twist of fate, Danika had already battled acute lymphoblastic leukaemia as a child and was cleared after two years of treatment, just for her to be diagnosed with bowel cancer at 33, which took her life months later.
Barry talked about his loss on IAC last night and was comforted by his teammates at the Aussie camp.
This is what nudged mental health charity Andy's Man Club to issue a statement.
Lucas Whitehead, Head of Marketing & Partnerships at Andy's Man Club shared: “It was heartwarming to see the level of support offered to Barry McGuigan on I’m a Celebrity this week.”
He added on behalf of the men’s charity: “So many men feel afraid to open up about their problems and their feelings, and not only does Barry’s bravery show men that they can be accepted and supported when they come forward, it shows men that displays of vulnerability are a show of strength as opposed to weakness. Well done Barry!”
Barry had shared to his camp mates: "I've tried to talk about it... Those horrible weeks in the hospital, just watching her. It was shocking.
"She had leukaemia, when I was making 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 did, she fought back and she won it.
"She had two years of chemo. But she was good."
He added:: "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."
Barry was flooded with tears as he was engulfed in from Melvin Odoom, Tulisa Contostavlos, Oti Mabuse and Jane Moore.
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