Boxer Barry McGuigan says his ‘heart is broken’ after ‘wonderful’ actress daughter Danika’s cancer death at 33
BOXER Barry McGuigan has paid a heartfelt tribute to his actress daughter who died last week after a "brief but brave" battle with cancer.
Danika McGuigan, who starred in the film Philomena and the comedy series Can't Cope, Won't Cope, died at the age of 33.
She battled leukaemia between the ages of 11 and 13 but had been in remission for 20 years.
Sharing an old photo of the pair today, the 58-year-old boxer paid an emotional tribute to Danika, saying: "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.
"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.
"There are simply too many to answer individually so I want to use this opportunity to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you, the family greatly appreciate them."
TRIBUTES
Danika's family told how she passed away "peacefully surrounded by her loving family" last Tuesday.
Her brother Shane said on Instagram: "My beautiful sister Danika lost her battle with cancer. She overcame it once with a two-year fight.
"We were privileged to have another 20 years with our amazing Nika."
She had two other brothers, Jake and Blain.
The London-based actress had recently finished filming Wildfire, a film about two sisters who grew up near the Northern Irish border.
She also starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave and Rooney Mara in Jim Sheridan's adaptation of Sebastian Barry novel The Secret Scripture.
CANCER FIGHT
McGuigan, dubbed the Clones Cyclone, won the WBA featherweight world title in 1985 when he beat Panamanian Eusebio Pedroza and represented Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games and Ireland in the Olympics.
Back in 2005, Barry opened his heart about Danika's courageous fightback against leukaemia, which began when she was just 11.
The youngster was diagnosed with the disease after developing bruises on her arms and legs.
She underwent intensive chemo for six months and, against the odds, made a full recovery.
Her dad said that discovering Danika had leukaemia "was like being hit with a sledgehammer".
He added: "There's nothing worse than your child getting sick. No amount of fighting in the ring could have prepared me for it.
"I was in Ireland when I got a call from our doctor and I could hear [my wife] Sandra sobbing in the background.
"We spent the next six weeks staying in the hospital hoping and praying Nika would get better. They gave her chemo straight away. I can't tell you how terrified I was, seeing her go through it all.
"She was in a high dependency ward. At one point there were seven kids in there and four of them died.
"We got to know those children and their families. We were going to the funerals, feeling their dreadful loss and wondering if it was going to happen to your child.
"But Nika was incredibly strong and positive. God, did she fight. I was so proud of her. I've never seen such willpower."
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After a year and a half off school, Danika chose to go to a girls' boarding school where she got into acting.
Her dad said: "She found a love of drama. The word 'dynamo' doesn't do her justice.
"With Danika, the glass is never half-empty and never half-full. It's completely full. In fact, it's probably spilling over."
Following Danika's illness Barry became a patron of Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood and took part in a series of charity fundraising events.
