We think there’s a new contender for best Love Island x TOWIE crossover of the year – following Joey Essex’s bombshell entrance at the start of the summer – as Love Island 2019 legend Maura Higgins has been spotted kissing an Essex hunk.
After splitting from her Hollywood stuntman boyfriend Bobby Holland Hanton, Maura spent the summer in America as the host of Love Island USA’s Aftersun. Now she’s back in the UK, it seems that she’s well and truly moved on from her ex.
Maura was seen cosying up to Pete Wicks at the Broadwick Soho hotel in London over the weekend before they were pictured leaning in for a “passionate” kiss.
According to onlookers, Maura had been enjoying lunch with friends before Pete turned up.
“After they’d sat there for a while Maura went in for a long kiss with Pete. It wasn’t the kind of kiss you’d give a friend, it was very passionate,” one revealed.
“Maura and Pete seemed to be really into each other and kept looking into each other’s eyes before kissing again a number of times.”
They told The Sun, “When it got dark they moved into the hotel’s Flute bar and Pete sat with his arm around Maura all evening.
“They were all over each other. They looked totally in love and weren’t trying to hide it from anyone.”
Maura and Pete’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
The reality TV stars have been friends for some time now and were last spotted in public back in February when they partied together at the BAFTAs.
Maura, who has previously dated Curtis Pritchard and Chris Taylor, recently opened up about her relationship status and confirmed she was dating following her split.
‘The thing with me is I won’t just date someone. I don’t go off just looks, I have to be speaking to somebody for quite some time to sort of get their vibe,” she told Closer.
“It needs to be flirty, getting to know each other, getting a vibe.”
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Nathan Katnoria is heat and Closer online’s senior digital writer. He became obsessed with Love Island when Malin Andersson came back to confront Terry Walsh in series two and hasn’t looked back since. When he’s not interviewing former Islanders, Nathan is scrolling through their Instagram feeds for relationship updates and piping hot tea.