London Marathon 2025: Shane McGuigan to honour sister Danika following dad Barry’s emotional ‘I’m A Celeb’ address

Former Amateur Irish boxer and current top boxing trainer Shane McGuigan is set to run the 2025 TCS London Marathon on Sunday in memory of his late sister Danika, who died of bowel cancer in July 2019.

The 37-year-old is competing in the 26.2-mile race in support of the charity Young Lives vs Cancer following his elder sibling’s death, a story which captured the nation in November 2024.

Their father, former world boxing champion Barry McGuigan, featured in the ITV reality show ‘I’m A Celebrity…. Get Me Out Of Here!’ and captured the hearts of the nation when he spoke of her fight against the illness.

Devastating impact of cancer

Danika, a Northern Irish actress, passed away at the age of 33 following her battle with bowel cancer. She had previously overcome the terrible disease as a child – she suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of 11, but was able to recover by 13.

“My parents and my brothers have known the devastating impact that childhood cancer can have on the whole family,” Shane explained in a press release issued by the race organiser. 

“Young Lives vs Cancer’s specialist social workers provide practical and emotional support every step of the way from the point of diagnosis for as long as they are needed.”

Shane competed in his first marathon back in 2024 by setting a time of 2:53 in Seville, also running in honour of Danika.

“Young Lives for Cancer reached out to me after Seville asking if I would take one of their slots to raise some money for the charity. It’s not just Leukemia in kids now, there are a lot of cancers about and I think something so close to my heart – I was eight years of age when my sister got diagnosed with Leukemia which took our family by the scruff of our necks and turned us upside down.

“If I can help raise some money and awareness for the charity, then that will be really fulfilling for me.”

Sub-2:45 aim for McGuigan

Shane has documented his London training progress as he attempts to run a sub-2:45 hour marathon on his YouTube channel.

“A big part of my life has changed recently with running, I took it up about two-and-a-half years ago and it was something that gave me clarity, solitude and something that gave me a little bit of me time.

“I don’t get much me time, one of the most valuable times of the day is the hour, or hour and a half whenever it is, that comes from running.

He also spoke about his relationship with Danika and how he’d train with her when it came to running.

“I would go to the gym with my sister, and obviously when she passed I never really wanted to get back into it. It was one of the things I put on the back-burner and just ignored, but it has probably been one of the best things for me to process the loss of my sister when she died at 33 years of age – it’ll be six years this summer.”