Barry McGuigan was a huge hit with I’m A Celebrity fans in the jungle and it turns out the former boxer has a famous best friend who was urging fans to vote for him

Former boxer Barry McGuigan was a big hit with I’m A Celeb viewers during his stint in the Aussie jungle this year, before his exit on Thursday. But many viewers didn’t know he boasted a famous fan back home – none other than telly host Eamonn Holmes. Eamonn took to Instagram to root for Barry, posting a snap of the ex-boxer captioned ‘Vote Barry.’ He wrote: “We’ve known each other for 45 years and are best friends. Hope you can help keep my pal Barry in the Jungle.”

This show of camaraderie from Eamonn comes hot on the heels of his ex-spouse Ruth Langsford’s visit to the I’m A Celeb campsite to support her Loose Women colleagues GK Barry and Jane Moore, with the latter being the first to get the boot. Ruth was also there to feature on the spin-off programme, I’m A Celeb Unpacked, joining Joel Dommett, Sam Thompson, and Kemi Rodgers.

During his jungle jaunt, featherweight champ Barry, aged 63, has won over both viewers and fellow campmates with his heartfelt stories and charm. On Tuesday 4 December, the campmates were treated to a night at the Jungle Arms pub, complete with nibbles, drinks, and a karaoke session where Barry’s performance of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl left everyone in awe.

One admirer exclaimed on X: “One thing about the jungle arms it always makes you realise the least obvious one can sing, Barry I love you man” while another chimed in with “who knew Barry McGuigan could sing so well #imaceleb.”

McFly’s Danny Jones also stunned the crowd with a rendition of Bon Jovi, sparking calls from fans for a potential duet down the line. “When they leave the jungle Barry and Danny need to release a single together,” one viewer penned. Echoing this sentiment, another fan chimed in: “Can Danny and Barry release a song please? Thanks. #ImACeleb”.

Earlier in the series, Barry shared a poignant story about losing his cherished daughter Danika to cancer. She tragically passed away five weeks after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2019.

Speaking to his fellow campmates, Barry revealed: “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 fought back and she won it. She had two years of chemo.”

After overcoming her initial illness and pursuing a career in acting, Nika was sadly diagnosed with cancer again in her early thirties. Barry confided in Jane Moore about Nika’s second cancer diagnosis, revealing that she had been experiencing “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.”