Life of I'm A Celebrity Barry McGuigan's son Shane including Maura Higgins love story

I'm A Celebrity viewers were treated to the arrival of two fresh faces in Thursday night's episode (November 21), as Love Island's Maura Higgins and priest Richard Coles joined the camp.

The pair have been tasked with lying to their fellow celebrities about their living conditions in order to win the whole camp a feast. While their white lies might land them in trouble in future episodes, there could also be tension between Maura and another campmate.

The Love Island star previously dated Shane McGuigan, the son of boxer Barry McGuigan, which might lead to some uncomfortable moments on the show.

With Maura's romantic history now under the spotlight due to her stint on I'm A Celebrity, what else is there to know about her ex-boyfriend Shane?

Shane is the son of boxing legend Barry McGuigan
(Image: 2013 Dave M. Benett)

Who is Shane McGuigan?

Shane, 36, has followed his father into the boxing world, but not as a professional fighter. He works as a boxing coach and has trained numerous world champions, including David Haye and Chris Billam-Smith, reports OK!.

Shane and his father run an elite boxing gym known as McGuigan Gym, which was featured in a four-part BBC One documentary titled Stable: The Boxing Game. Available for streaming on BBC iPlayer, the documentary provides an inside look at life in the gym and the stories that have unfolded there.

When the documentary was released earlier this year, Shane described it as capturing "the highs, the lows and everything in between about what fighters, trainers, their families and friends all go through before, during and after a fight."

The McGuigan Gym was the subject of a BBC documentary
(Image: (Photo by James Chance/Getty Images))

Personal life

When it comes to his home life, Shane's a doting dad to two boys named Finley George and Caelan James, who he shared with his fiancée Taylor West, a singer-songwriter. The family also have two pet bulldogs.

It's clear from Shane's Instagram feed that he is a family man as he regularly shares pictures of Taylor and his children with sweet captions, alongside his boxing content.

Shane and Taylor got engaged in March 2023, with the boxing coach posting a loved-up snap of the pair captioned: "Over the moon @taylorwestmusic said yes."

How did Maura Higgins meet Shane McGuigan?






Maura and Shane dated briefly in 2018
(Image: BANG Showbiz)

The pair had a brief fling back in 2018, right before Maura became a household name on Love Island.

Before her rise to fame on the hit dating show, Maura worked as a ring girl, and it was during the David Haye vs Tony Bellew rematch that she met Shane. At the time, Shane was busy with his boxing gym in London while Maura was based out in Ireland, so the strain of long distance meant their fling eventually ran its course, an insider disclosed.

"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," the insider revealed to The Sun, detailing the first sparks between the ex-couple. Even though they've parted ways, rumours swirl that they've kept a friendly rapport.

As for those I'm A Celebrity fans eager for a juicy encounter between Maura and the father of Shane, it looks like they won't get their wish. The Love Island celeb has admitted she never met her former flame's dad.

I'm A Celebrity.... Get Me Out Of Here! continues tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX