Barry McGuigan has become a firm favourite on this year’s ITV’s I’m A Celebrity – which is back on screens Sunday (December 1).
The former boxing champion is no stranger to tough challenges, having fought people in the ring and battled to the top on television shows.
But how has being an Irish sports legend set him up for the stint Down Under? How did Barry’s daughter tragically pass away? And what made his boxing and TV career take off?
Read on for all you need to know…
Former champion’s boxing career ahead of the jungle
Finbar Patrick “Barry” McGuigan MBE is an Irish boxing promoter and former professional boxer who joins a star-studded cast on ITV‘s hit reality show.
Born on February 28, 1961 in Clones, Ireland, Barry McGuigan is currently 63 years old. He wants to “conquer” I’m A Celeb before his age and health possibly restrict him in the future:
“I’m 63 now. I’d like to think I’m a young 63, but that doesn’t mean it’ll make any of these challenges easy. I’d rather do it when I’m 63, than 73, put it that way,” he told ITV ahead of the show.
“It can be physically arduous, but it’s the psychological part of it that I want to conquer before I get too old.”
The ex-professional boxer was nicknamed ‘The Clones Cyclone’ and held the WBA and lineal featherweight titles from 1985 to 1986.
Barry also held the British and European featherweight titles from 1983 to 1985.
In 1985, Barry won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. And, in 2005, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
He founded the Professional Boxing Association (PBA) and Cyclone Promotions, and launched the Barry McGuigan Boxing Academy in 2009.
Since he is known as The Clones Cyclone, Barry welcomes the idea of taking part in the show’s Celebrity Cyclone trial. He quipped: “I should be able to embrace it fairly well!
“Because of the way I fought, I fought relentlessly, I just used to track my opponents so I was called The Clones Cyclone. It’s something that’s stuck with me. I hope it helps me with this.”
Multi-million-pound legal battle – Carl Frampton vs Barry McGuigan
In September 2023, boxer Carl Frampton opened up about his acrimonious split and subsequent legal battle with former manager Barry McGuigan.
After their partnership broke down in 2017, Frampton and Cyclone Promotions sued each other in a High Court case in Belfast.
Frampton was suing McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions for alleged withheld earnings. Meanwhile, in a countersuit, McGuigan claimed against Frampton for breach of contract. Both men denied the allegations against them.
The multi-million-pound case began at the High Court in Belfast in September 2020 and was settled out of court later that year, in November.
Barry said at the time: “We are satisfied with this settlement. I believe that my family and I can now move forward after a very difficult time in our personal lives.”
He added the “mutual understanding” between Frampton and Cyclone Promotions would work for both sides, leaving them to “focus exclusively on what we do best rather than spending time and money in the courtroom”.
Family life and daughter’s tragic death
Barry is a Roman Catholic, and at a time when Catholics and Protestants were clashing during The Troubles, he married a Protestant named Sandra Mealiff.
After tying the knot in 1981, the pair have now been married for more than four decades.
During their relationship, the couple have had four children together – sons Shane, Jake and Blane and daughter Danika. Danika tragically died from cancer in 2019 at the age of 33.
Her death, in 2019, shocked the showbiz world. The young performer had roles in numerous television and film productions throughout her career. Danika also had a history of health issues and had previously battled leukaemia when she was 11 years old.
During an interview appearance on The Late Late Show, Barry shared how he felt about losing his daughter.
“I know there are loads of parents who have lost their children and I know how devastating that is, how hard it is. My heart goes out to all of them. She was such an important part of our lives in everything.
“Even my four grandchildren, my latest grandchild is Mila Nika McGuigan,” he said, revealing her middle name was a tribute to his late daughter.
Barry McGuigan’s Hell’s Kitchen experience prepared him for I’m A Celebrity
Barry was crowned head chef of ITV’s culinary reality show Hell’s Kitchen back in 2007, where 10 celebrities were taught how to cook in a London restaurant.
He was part of the series that featured replacement chefs after Gordon Ramsay left the show. So he should fare well if he’s given the role of camp chef, right? Wrong…
Although it seems he should have a lot of success in the kitchen given his cooking career in the media, Barry has joked that he still cannot cook, claiming that his “fabulous wife” does it for him.
However, he would be willing to help, and he is good at cleaning: “My wife and my three sons and my seven grandchildren come around, I end up doing the cleaning up. We’ve got a good old bit of team work going.”
Referring to the close-knit camp environment, Barry said: “I hope that we can create a team in the jungle. I hope we can create a good working environment. So people who are good at cooking, for example, get to do that. People who are good at cleaning up and tidying the place up, they come in and make it work well.”
You have to be willing to do everything.
However, one thing he might not cope too well with is disagreements around the campfire…
“I acted as a referee and appeaser in Hell’s Kitchen. But this is different. A whole different set of circumstances,” he said. “It’ll be a challenge. I would imagine I’ll be one of the elders and you can look at that in a calming down way,” he told ITV.
Although Barry did mention that he might get irritated, so he possibly could heat up the jungle!
‘I couldn’t refuse’
When asked if he would refuse to partake in any of the I’m A Celebrity trials, Barry rejected the suggestion and stated: “I couldn’t refuse to do it. Once you’ve made the decision to get into I’m A Celebrity, you have to be willing to do everything.”
He compared this mindset to what he learned from his boxing career: “It might be disgusting and you might be tired, but being a fighter and being dedicated and committed to training and getting ready for fights… you have to go through hell, physically as well as psychologically. So, I know what I’m letting myself in for.”
Read more: I’m A Celebrity latest: Jane Moore favourite to exit camp first
I’m A Celebrity airs on ITV1 on Sunday December 1 at 9pm.
So how do you think Barry McGuigan will do on I’m A Celebrity? You can leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.