Former Boxing Champion Barry McGuigan is set to enter the I'm a Celeb jungle.
He arrived in Australia on Monday ahead of the new series beginning on ITV on Sunday, November 17.
Arriving at the airport, the 63-year-old from Clones played down that he was there for the show, as his appearance wasn't confirmed until Monday night. He said: "I'm here out here to sign the next best Australian fighters. I'll go searching for him and there might be some trials along the way."
READ MORE: I'm A Celebrity line-up in full as stars break silence on worst fears for show
READ MORE: Barry McGuigan and NI radio host arrive in Australia ahead of I'm A Celeb
His sons are backing him to take part, but did have some words of advice. Barry explained: "My sons, who I talk to all the time and ask for advice, I said, ‘Should I do this?’ They said, ‘Yeah, dad. You’ve got good discipline, you’re good with people and invariably you’ll be aggravated and irritated and annoyed, but you’ve got good forbearance. You’re good at handling stuff like that.’ I’m hoping that I can do reasonably well and make a good account of myself. They also said, ‘Don’t pick your ears or pick your nose! And try not to use bad language.’”
It’s both the physical and psychological aspect of the show that appeals to the former boxer.
Barry explained: “It can be physically arduous, but it’s the psychological part of it that I want to conquer before I get too old.
“I’m 63 now. I’d like to think I’m a young 63, but that doesn’t mean it’ll make any of these challenges easy. I’d rather do it when I’m 63, than 73, put it that way.”
Of how he thinks he’ll do, Barry said: “I’d like to do well. I’m not saying I’m going to win, but I’d like to be in there for a sustained amount of time so that I can get to know all of the guys in camp.”
With a nod to his boxing career and winning turn on Hell’s Kitchen, Barry thinks his role might fall into the category of referee: “I acted as a referee and appeaser in Hell’s Kitchen. But this is different. A whole different set of circumstances. It’ll be a challenge. I would imagine I’ll be one of the elders and you can look at that in a calming down way. I might get irritated. I really don’t know.”
He added: “I’m the consoler when the guys have a hard day in the gym and they haven’t sparred particularly well. I put my arm around their shoulder and say, ‘Listen, that’s just the way it is. Tomorrow will be different.’ So I go back to the ‘elder’ position. My age has taken me into that category now. I’d like to get a good experience out of it. I want to enjoy it. I’d be delighted to get to the later stages, put it that way.”
Asked if he’d refuse to do any of the Trials, Barry said: “I couldn’t refuse to do it. Once you’ve made the decision to get into I’m A Celebrity, you have to be willing to do everything. It might be disgusting and you might be tired, but being a fighter and being dedicated and committed to training and getting ready for fights… you have to go through hell, physically as well as psychologically. So, I know what I’m letting myself in for.
“Listen, it might be very funny, me going, ‘Oh no, go on, you do it!’ There might be all of that. But at the end of the day I’m not going to refuse.”
While he has had some success in the kitchen, Barry joked: “I still can’t cook! My fabulous wife does all of that for me. I’d be willing to help out. If nobody else can do it, I’d be happy to chip in. But I’m pretty good at cleaning. My wife and my three sons and my seven grandchildren come around, I end up doing the cleaning up. We’ve got a good old bit of team work going. I hope that we can create a team in the jungle. I hope we can create a good working environment. So people who are good at cooking, for example, get to do that. People who are good at cleaning up and tidying the place up, they come in and make it work well.”
Barry doesn’t have any specific phobias, but the lack of sweet treats is on his mind. He said: “That’ll be the biggest challenge of all, learning to cope without food, with very bland stuff to keep you going and for just putting in the calories so that could be the most difficult challenge.”
Taking part, he says, will be a real ‘class in absence’. Barry added: “It’s about being able to abstain from stuff and not allowing it to bother you or be overbearing.”
Known throughout his career as The Clones Cyclone, the thought of potentially being able to take part in the Celebrity Cyclone is a welcome one. Barry said: “I should be able to embrace it fairly well! Because of the way I fought, I fought relentlessly, I just used to track my opponents so I was called The Clones Cyclone. It’s something that’s stuck with me. I hope it helps me with this.”
I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! returns Sunday 17th November at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, STV and STV Player.
Be is your home for all things lifestyle - from health and beauty, to work life and parenting, careers and cooking to fashion and features, and everything in between.
So to make sure you don't miss out on the things that matter to you, we've created a brand-new newsletter pulling the best of Be's content together twice a week.
To sign up, simply enter your email address here and we'll do the rest.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.
