Danika's father and brothers said that they were "heart-broken" she couldn't have been there to accept the award.

Several members of Nika McGuigan's family have shared that they are "so proud" of her for winning an IFTA at the award ceremony on Sunday evening. Nika received the IFTA for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Wildfire. The actress sadly passed away in 2019 aged 33. She had been diagnosed with cancer. Nika's mum and dad - Barry and Sandra - and her brother Blane accepted the award on her behalf at the virtual ceremony. Blane thanked the IFTAs for the honour, as well as Cathy Doyle, the film's writer and director, and her co-star, Nora-Jane Noone. "Nika's performance speaks for itself," he said. "It is the culmination of years of hard work. Nika tirelessly grafted to become the best actor she could be and in Wildfire she found a vehicle that let her express herself artistically like she had never been able to do before." He continued: "It is tragic that Nika did not get to show the world more of her endless talent, but this award and its recognition of her brilliant performance would have meant everything to Danika." https://twitter.com/ClonesCyclone/status/1411815683000786944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1411815683000786944%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fevoke.ie%2F2021%2F07%2F05%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrity%2Fmcguigan-family-heartbroken-nika-wasnt-alive-for-ifta-win Barry added: "This is a testament to the special and sacred bond Nika had with her mother that transcends all of life’s challenges." Nika's mum Sandra said that the award would have taken her daughter's breath away. "For me and Barry, it was an absolute privilege that Nika was our daughter," she said. Afterwards, Barry and his other son Shane both said that they were heart-broken Nika didn't live to see her win. Barry said: "We are extremely proud of Nika winning Best Actress in a Leading Role but so heart broken that she is not here to receive it." https://twitter.com/McGuigans_Gym/status/1411823775587483649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1411823775587483649%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fevoke.ie%2F2021%2F07%2F05%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrity%2Fmcguigan-family-heartbroken-nika-wasnt-alive-for-ifta-win Shane said on Twitter that he was "extremely proud" of his sister. He wrote: "She devoted herself to acting for so many years & it's heartbreaking that she wasn't able to receive the award herself. But I know Niks is smiling down tonight."