There have been countless Love Island contestants over the decade the phenomenon has graced our TV screens, but it's fair to say that Maura Higgins is a fan favourite. Perhaps THE fan favourite.
The Irish Islander entered the villa as a bombshell during Love Island 2019 and caused quite a stir with her brutal honesty, flirty antics and most surprising of all - her confession that she fancied Curtis Pritchard.
Since the show ended all those years ago Maura has gone on to become one of the most successful contestants and is now working over in the states on Love Island USA as a social media ambassador.
On top of that, Maura is now rumoured to be heading into the Australian jungle alongside Coleen Rooney, Tulisa and Oti Mabuse for the latest I'm A Celeb.
So here's your need to know about this Love Island legend before she takes over the world.
What did Maura Higgins do before Love Island?
Before appearing on Love Island, Maura worked as a model and grid girl.
When was Maura Higgins on Love Island?
Maura was a bombshell who took part in season five of Love Island alongside Ovie Soko and Amber Gill.
Meme-worthy Maura is without a doubt one of the most unforgettable stars to come out of Love Island and made for fabulous telly.
From cursing BFF Molly-Mae Hague for spilling wine when she fell down the steps to confronting Tom Walker for his inappropriate comments, Maura always had something to say and was guaranteed to bring the humour.
Maura finished in fourth place alongside her now ex-boyfriend Curtis.
What happened with Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard?
They were one of Love Island 2019's longest-running couples, but sadly Maura and Curtis' love story came to an end in March 2020 when she announced they'd split.
At the time, Maura told fans, 'Curtis and I have made the decision to separate. We enjoyed a great experience from our time in the villa and want to thank everyone for supporting our relationship.
'There is no easy way to get through a breakup and no bad feeling on either side. We tried to make it work but it wasn't to be and I wish Curtis nothing but the best for the future.'
Did Maura Higgins cheat on Curtis Pritchard?
After she and Chris made their relationship public, Maura's ex Curtis accused her of cheating during his controversial stand up comedy routine for Channel 4 show Stand Up and Deliver.
In his performance, Curtis said he likes to drink smooth whiskey and joked, 'It’s trusting, the flavour will never cheat on you… unlike my ex-girlfriend.'
Maura has always denied cheating on Curtis and has previously accused him of cheating himself.
Are Maura Higgins and Lucie Donlan still friends?
It's no secret that Maura's Love Island bestie is Molly-Mae Hague, but during her time on Love Island, Maura was also closer to surfer Lucie Donlan.
Maura's close friendship with Lucie dates back to their time in the villa, and Maura even credited Lucie for helping her get over her split from Chris Taylor. In an emotional Instagram post she shared a photo of a bouquet of flowers and a card - which read, 'I love you to the moon and back' - that Lucie had sent her in the wake of the break-up.
Maura captioned the post, 'I really do have the most amazing friends 🥺. Thank you so much @lucierosedonlan you are truly amazing 🤍.'
However, Maura sparked rumours she'd fallen out with one of her villa besties after eagle-eyed fans noticed that she's unfollowed Lucie on Instagram.
A quick glimpse at Maura's Instagram profile shows that she no longer follows Lucie, but she does follow Lucie's fiancé Luke Mabbott. Both Lucie and Luke still follow Maura.
While it's not clear why Maura has unfollowed Lucie, fans on Reddit think they may have sussed out the real reason - with some suggesting that Molly-Mae's pregnancy announcement may have driven a wedge between them.
'The two used to be very close, even going on holiday to the Maldives for Maura’s birthday this year. Rumours are they have fallen out due to Molly Mae’s pregnancy (as Lucie and Molly do not like each other, while Maura and Molly are super close), but that seems strange,' wrote one.
Another added, 'Maybe Lucie feels slighted that Maura kept it from her and said something or reacted to the news in a way Maura didn't like, esp seeing Lucie still follows her.'
Others claimed that the pair might have fallen out when Lucie signed to Maura's old management, noting that they seemed to start drifting apart around the same time.
Maura's representatives have been contacted for comment.
How old is Maura Higgins?
Maura's birthday is 25 November 1990, so she's currently 33 years old.
Where is Maura Higgins from?
She's originally from County Longford in Ireland.
Who is Maura Higgins dating?
After splitting from Curtis, Maura started dating her former co-star Chris Taylor. At first, they were heavily rumoured to be romantically involved and they insisted they were just friends but the series five contestants eventually confirmed their relationship with some major PDA on Instagram.
Alongside a snap of them kissing, Maura wrote, 'He’s mine ❤️ @christophertaylorofficial.'
Chris followed suit and captioned his post, 'Turns out I fell in love with my best mate @maurahiggins ♥️.'
Although we had high hopes for them, Maura and Chris' relationship just wasn't meant to be and they announced their split in May 2021.
Maura has since dated Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice, footballer Connor Wickham and Bobby Holland Hanton.
As of 2024, she's rumoured to be dating TOWIE's Pete Wicks after they were pictured snogging, although neither party has come forward to confirm anything.
Why did Maura Higgins and Chris Taylor split?
Maura confirmed she had split from Chris in a candid statement as she admitted they were better as friends.
She wrote, 'It breaks my heart to even type this, but I wanted to let everyone know that myself and Chris have made the joint decision to end our relationship. There is no wrongdoing on either side… we still love, care and respect each other deeply. From the minute we met each other we’ve been very close friends and that will never change.
'There is no regret. Life is about taking chances. We wanted to make this work but we have realised we work better being friends. Whilst I appreciate people may speculate or creates false stories, this is the truth.'
Chris echoed Maura's sentiment in his own statement. He told fans, 'Hey guys. After some very heart felt conversations over the past few days, myself & Maura have decided to part ways.
'We are both still on very good terms and this was a mutual decision where nobody had done anything wrong. We will remain friends, as we have been since day 1 and I will always be in Maura's corner and have her back.'
Were Maura Higgins and Chris Taylor engaged?
Maura and Chris were never actually engaged but did discuss marriage, less than a year after becoming an item. They teased the idea of getting married while taking part in an Instagram Q&A.
When one of her followers asked, 'When are you getting married?', Maura let her boyfriend answer the question as she turned the camera towards a surprised Chris and asked, 'When are we getting married, Chris?', to which he replied, 'Oh God… erm, next year?'
Maura asked, 'Like, as in this year?' before Chris quickly cleared up, 'No, next year'.
Maura then moaned, 'That’s ages', to which Chris replied, 'Ok, this year' as she giggled into the camera.
How far did Maura Higgins go on Dancing on Ice?
After weeks of rumours, ITV bosses confirmed that Maura would be taking part in Dancing On Ice in 2020.
Maura said, 'I've skated once in my life for fun, so I've no experience at all. I'm up for the challenge. I'm more excited than scared. I'm competitive so I think that will drive me.'
She later posted on Instagram, 'Cats out of the bag!!! I’m joining the cast of this years @dancingonice 🙌🏼 and wow... I just can not contain my excitement 😆⛸'.
Maura was partnered with professional skater Alexander Demetriou and made it all the way to week seven before being eliminated in a skate-off against Team GB Paralympian Libby Clegg.
Maura isn't the first Love Island turned Dancing on Ice star as both Kem Cetinay and Wes Nelson have previously appeared on the skating show.
What's Maura's make-up brand?
Maura first teased her make-up collection in February but it wasn't actually released until July 2020.
The reality star launched a 34-product collection with Inglot, who had previously worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez.
'When Inglot approached me to collaborate with them, I didn’t even have to think about it! I literally can’t believe this is happening! I’ve worn Inglot for years and now there’s over 30 products with my name on them – it’s a dream come true,' Maura said at the time.
'I’ve handpicked some of my favourite Inglot products for this collection – some of the classics that I’ve used over the years, which I absolutely love still to this day. I’ve also created some amazing new products with Inglot – they are incredible, and I know you’re all going to love them!'
Does Maura Higgins have Instagram?
Yep she can be found Instagram on @maurahiggins.