Who is Barry McGuigan’s son Shane and when did he date I’m a Celebrity contestant Maura Higgins?

SHANE McGuigan is son of the world champion boxer Barry McGuigan, but Shane has his own career in the sport too.

His famous dad is set for an awkward encounter on I'm a Celeb though, when he comes face-to-face with Shane's famous ex-girlfriend.

Beginnings in Boxing

Shane was born in 1988 and sport was a big part of his life from a young age.

is a former featherweight world champion who earned himself the nickname The Clones Cyclone, since he came from Clones, Ireland.

Barry was even inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.

Shane has two brothers, who have stayed out of the private eye, and a late sister named Danika.

Danika was well known for her role as Danielle Mullane in Can't Cope, Won't Cope but sadly passed away in 2019 from colon cancer at the age of 33.

Shane has gone on to become a boxing coach with a gym in South West London.

He has trained several rising stars in the boxing scene, including Chantelle Cameron, George Groves, Carl Frampton and Lee McGregor.

Romance with Maura

Shane met Maura Higgins in May 2018 when she was working as a ring girl for William Hill.

She was on ring card duty for the David Haye vs Tony Bellew rematch, which Shane was covering for a radio show.

After dating briefly, they decided to call it quits and have remained friends.

An insider gave fans a window into their whirlwind romance and said that living between Ireland and London made it difficult for the couple to see each other.

He said: "Maura has brains and beauty and she quickly caught Shane's eye.

"They got chatting and had instant chemistry so of course he asked her out.

“At the time Maura lived in Ireland, and Shane was running his boxing gym in London, and she was travelling a lot for work so it wasn't easy to pull off.

"There were no hard feelings when it ended.

"It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out."

Awkward encounter

Shane's famous dad, Barry, is set for an awkward encounter in The Jungle on the 2024 series of I'm a Celebrity.

Maura will also be taking on Bushtucker Trials in the beloved ITV shows, alongside the famous boxer.

The stars will be joined in The Jungle by Coleen Rooney, pop singer Tulisa and McFly's Danny Jones.

Viewers can tune into the new series when it kicks off on November 17, 2024.