ITV bosses are reportedly lining up former World Champion boxer Barry McGuigan to take part in the most recent instalment of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!
The Irish boxing icon and sports columnist is set to jet off Down Under to join a stellar line-up of campmates in the Australian jungle alongside hosts Ant and Dec who will be returning to front the popular show.
It comes following the news that Scots football legend Ally McCoist hesitated to join the show for a third stint, and has reportedly decided to quit according to reports in the Mirror on Friday, November 1.
The news of Barry joining the ITV show happens amid the usual last-minute chaos as celebrities either finalise their contracts or back out.
An insider remarked to the publication: “Barry is a bona-fide sporting legend and he’s a great person to have heading for the jungle. When he rose to fame in the 1980s as the WBA featherweight boxing champ he became a non-sectarian ambassador. He fought for both Ireland and Great Britain and was loved and respected on both sides of the divide. There’s not many who can say that.”
Father-of-four Barry dominated the featherweight division from 1983 to 1986. He was crowned BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 1985 and entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.
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This year’s jungle series is set to feature a star-studded lineup, including Coronation Street’s Alan Halsall, who missed out last year due to a knee injury, WAG Coleen Rooney, and Love Island’s Maura Higgins, who stepped in after Tommy Fury reconsidered his participation. Former X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos is also on the list.
Joining them will be ex-Strictly favourite Oti Mabuse and McFly’s Danny Jones, emulating bandmate Dougie Poynter’s success, who was crowned king of the jungle back in 2011.
In 2019, Barry and his wife Sandra were struck by the loss of their daughter Danika to cancer at just 33. In her memory, he strives to stay healthy and strong. Mourning her loss, he said, “We think about her nonstop,” adding, “She was a super girl, a super lassie. It has been such a tragedy for us, but I know I have to get on with life, for her.”
Throughout his professional career, McGuigan earned the nickname ‘the Clones Cyclone’, a nod to his birthplace in Ireland. After hanging up his gloves, he transitioned into boxing promotion, working alongside his wife and their three sons.
An ITV spokesperson declined to comment on rumours about potential jungle contestants last night.
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