Maura Higgins is arguably the most iconic Love Island contestant of all time.
The reality star is Goss.ie’s latest Spotlight On cover star, and in this exclusive interview she speaks about the show that changed her life forever, and reveals the truth behind the rumours she’s set to appear on an all-stars series.
The 32-year-old also gets candid about the downsides of fame, reveals why she’s keeping her love life out of the public eye, and so much more.
Before we get into Maura’s incredible career to date, let’s take it back to the beginning.
Maura is the daughter of Seamus and Sharon Higgins. She grew up in the town of Ballymahon in Co. Longford with her three siblings.
She tells us: “My childhood was pretty normal. It’s so different now, kids have phones and everything, but when I was a kid I was climbing trees and making buns out of sand. That’s basically what I used to do.”
“I was a real girly girl, so I was just playing with dollies all the time. I’ve got two sisters and a brother, and I was the only real girly girl out of the family.”
Maura attended Ballymahon Vocational school, but dropped out before completing her Leaving Cert.
The TV personality then trained to become a hairstylist, and she worked in the industry for 10 years.
But after losing her love of the job, Maura decided it was time for a change. She started travelling the world as a Monster Energy Girl, which she describes as “one of the best things I ever did”.
At the same time, Maura was working as a ring girl for famous boxers such as Anthony Joshua. It was during this period of her life that Maura was scouted for Love Island.
The first two times Maura was asked to audition for the hit ITV dating show, she turned it down because she was in relationships.
But when she was asked for a third time, and she was finally single, Maura jumped at the opportunity.
She entered the Love Island villa as a bombshell in 2019, and was an instant hit with fans.
From her ‘Fanny Flutters’ catchphrase to her explosive fight with Tom Walker, Maura had many memorable moments in the villa, but what viewers loved the most about her was that she always stayed true to herself.
It’s been five years since Maura strutted into the villa and she became a household name.
She has gone on to appear on other reality shows, tried her hand at presenting, and even signed to a top modelling agency.
In this exclusive interview, she tells us what’s next for her, and reveals how she has managed to stay grounded despite being one of the biggest reality stars in the world.
Check out our full chat with Maura below:
Let’s chat about life before Love Island. What some people may not know about you is that you actually studied to be a hairdresser, and you worked in a local salon. Tell us about that.
“So I left school early. I did the Junior Cert, but didn’t do the Leaving Cert. And I always wanted to be a hairstylist so I went straight into training. I remember I wasn’t on a lot of money, and I saved and saved and saved because I was still living at home. So I saved every bit of money I made and bought my first car, and I remember how proud I was of that.
“I started working in salons, and I really wanted to be a fully qualified hair stylist but it’s very, very hard to get there because once you’re a trainee, you’re kind of always looked at as a trainee if you get me? So I left that salon and went to another one, and I told the manager that I was fully qualified but I wasn’t. And she gave me a trial day and I had to cut someone’s hair into a short bob, so I just winged it and I did it and got the job. So I wasn’t even qualified and I just winged my way through life! And I ended up being a hairstylist for 10 years.
“Eventually, I fell out of love with it and began to hate it. But towards the end of my hairstyling career, I started working with Monster Energy and doing some ring girling on the side. Monster Energy then wanted me full time, and I thought: ‘This is my cue to get away from hairstyling.’ So I quit, and started working full time with Monster Energy with some ring girling on the side.
“I really enjoyed ring girling, meeting loads of people and the atmosphere at the ringside is just phenomenal. But my main job was Monster Energy, and that was one of the best things I ever did. It was so much fun. Travelling around the world with all your friends… It was incredible.”
It sounds incredible. And during that time, you were scouted to appear on Love Island…
“Yeah, [ITV bosses] contacted me on Instagram a few years in a row but the first couple of times, I was in relationships so I always said no. And then the third time they asked, I was single so I ran for it. I was thinking at the time, ‘I’m 28 now, I probably won’t do it any later than this so this is my chance to go in.’ And I’m so happy that I did.”
You are one of the most iconic contestants in the show’s history, and there has been a lot of speculation that you will appear on the All-Stars series. Is there any truth to those rumours?
“I can’t see myself ever doing that again, no. I’ve been asked, but I’ve said no. I just think, I’ve done it once, I’ve had my time on Love Island. I don’t really want to go back in time, I want to look to the future.”
“I can’t see myself doing love island again…”
Maya Jama took over from Laura Whitmore as the show’s host earlier this year, but there were a lot of fans who wanted to see you land that gig…
“Presenting is something that I really, really, really want to do more of. I really enjoyed hosting Glow Up Ireland, it was the most amazing experience. I’m having some exciting talks at the moment, which I’d love to be able to tell you about but I can’t right now. But there is some really, really exciting conversations. So finger’s crossed something good comes from that, because I do really feel comfortable presenting.
“It really doesn’t feel like work to me, and if you can do a job that doesn’t really feel like work, you’re just going to enjoy every single minute of it.”
While she has no plans to return to Love Island as a contestant, Maura confirmed earlier this week that she has landed an exciting new gig on the US version of the dating show.
She has relocated to Fuji for the summer and from there, she will be taking over the social channels for Love Island USA.
When she first entered the Love Island villa, Maura had her eye on boxer Tommy Fury – who was coupled up with Molly-Mae Hague.
Tommy and Molly-Mae ended up making it to the final of the show, and are one of Love Island’s biggest success stories.
They welcomed their first child together earlier this year, a baby girl named Bambi, and Molly is now one of Maura’s closest friends.
After a brief romance with Tom Walker (which was swiftly ended when Maura heard him telling the lads ‘It will be interested to see if she’s all mouth…’), Maura grew close to Curtis Prichard in the villa.
The pair came in fourth place on the show, and dated for a few months after Love Island before calling it quits.
Maura then moved on to her close friend and co-star Chris Taylor, but their relationship wasn’t to be.
The Irish beauty’s next public relationship was with Strictly Come Dancing pro Giovanni Pernice.
After a whirlwind romance, the couple called it quits in October 2021 and since then, Maura has kept her love life out of the public eye (although it was recently revealed that she is dating Chris Hemsworth’s stunt double Bobby Holland Hanton).
As we delve into the downsides of fame, I ask Maura about the decision to keep her relationships private, and how she deals with the public interest in her life…
Obviously being on Love Island has created incredible opportunities for you, but it also has its downsides. Did you ever regret going on the show?
“No, never. Obviously you’re going to deal with trolling and comments on articles and all this but to be honest, it sounds crazy, but I just laugh at them. When I get a really nasty DM or comment on a press article, I find it hilarious. I tell all my friends, and I read out the nastiest comment and get a belly laugh from it. And my friends ask me how I can laugh them off, and it’s because it’s so sad that they’re actually writing this and they don’t even know me as a person.
“I only care what my friends and family and loved ones think about me, and they know the truth. They know me as a person. So that’s the only opinions that I really care about.”
You’ve had a couple of public relationships since the show, but recently you’ve been keeping your love life out of the public eye. Was that a conscious decision for you and if so, why?
“I don’t really know if it was a conscious decision and don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I would keep a relationship away from the public. I just feel like I’d rather wait and not jump to it too soon, until I’m really sure. Because people get so invested. Like when it’s early days, you just want it to be you and him. And have your little bubble and be together, and get to know each other without having the public’s opinion on it so early days.”
“When it’s early days, you just want it to be you and him…”
It must be difficult at times, having so much interest in your public life…
“Yeah it is. It comes with the job. Like you could go anywhere and there’s paps who are going to see stuff. It’s part of it and for me, but it’s probably the worst side of [fame] because I love my privacy. But I don’t let it get to me. Like I could walk down the street with a guy and everyone will say, ‘Oh that’s Maura’s new boyfriend’ and that’s not the case. I’ve been put with so many men that I’ve never even kissed! And I really don’t care because, again, my family and friends know what’s going on. So people can believe what they want, but I know the truth. You have to just deal with it and be ok with it.”
Your close friend Leah Taylor joined this summer’s Love Island as a bombshell. Did you offer her any advice before she went into the villa?
“I gave her lots of words of advice. I literally put her in every single scenario and told her what to do. But then that’s very hard, because obviously we have completely different personalities. She’s not very fiery like me.
“The main thing I said to her was: ‘You really have to be yourself because if you’re not, you’ll regret it.’ You just have to stay true to yourself, and that’s the best advice I could give anyone going onto that show.”
“I’m so proud of her. She is such a lovely, lovely girl. She honestly has a heart of gold. She’s absolutely smashing it. I’m definitely behind her all the way.”
(Leah was dumped from the Love Island villa earlier this week.)
What people love the most about you is that you do always stay true to yourself and haven’t let fame change you. What keeps you grounded?
“I just think, everyone is the same. We’re all just human. I don’t think anyone should think that they’re any better than anyone else, because we’re all the same at the end of the day. And maybe that’s the way I’ve been brought up, and because I grew up in the middle of Ireland surrounded by cows and sheep and fields.
“Fame could never change me…”
“But I could never change. None of [the fame] could ever, ever, ever change me. I just believe that we’re all the same. And Irish people don’t take themselves too seriously, we’re very grounded. And having amazing friends and family really helps as well.”
You’ve appeared on other popular reality shows since Love Island – including Dancing On Ice and Celebrity Juice. Is there any other show you’d love to sign up to? Maybe I’m A Celeb?
“I don’t know. Again, it’s not really something I’ve thought of. I’ve been asked to do other reality shows that I’ve always turned down because I didn’t feel it was right for me. Like other dating shows and stuff. I’m A Celeb, I really don’t know… I get asked that a lot, but I am scared of everything. And I don’t know if that would be good TV or would that just be really, really annoying to watch, because I can’t even touch an ant! So I don’t really know how I’d get on with it.
“Don’t get me wrong, if I was to agree to it I’d have to just say ‘Right Maura, you need to try your best here and not wimp out of every single challenge.’ But I don’t know, I reckon that would be the hardest thing I’d ever do. Dealing with the hunger as well, it’s a lot! I’d be so hangry and probably snap at everyone.”
You’ve modelled, presented, and taken the reality TV world by storm. I know you recently had some meetings in LA – is acting your next career move?
“It’s not really something I’ve ever thought of, even though I tell all my friends ‘I feel like I’d be a really good actress’. But I don’t think that’s ever going to happen! I’d probably give it a go, and I’d love to walk into a room and just see how I’d get on with a script. But it’s not really something I’ve really thought about.”
You live in London now, but do you think you’d ever move back to Ireland?
“Not right now, I don’t have any plans to move back to Ireland. I’ve made a life for myself over here and I have some amazing friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love going back to Ireland – it’s always going to be my home. That’s where my closest friends and family are. But most of my work is over here. I’d probably move somewhere else, but I don’t know about moving back to Ireland. Maybe in the future, like never say never, but for now I’m quite happy where I am.
“Ireland is always going to be my home…”
“It’s lovely to go back home. It’s weird because when I go back to Ireland, I spend the whole week in my pyjamas, slouched on the sofa, eating Chinese, just chilling with my family and being a scruff. And I love it! Like I travel to my friend’s house and my sister’s house in my pyjamas. I never get dressed for some reason. It’s so nice to be able to chill out like that – no makeup, pyjamas and a pair of slippers. They’re some of my best days.”
I have been a big fan of Maura’s ever since watching her on Love Island and having chatted on two separate occasions, I can confirm she’s as lovely as she seems.
She hasn’t lost the charm, wittiness and honesty that made viewers fall in love with her when she first entered the villa and despite being such a huge star now, she has stayed humble and true to herself in all her ventures over the past few years.
While I’m devastated she won’t be appearing on Love Island All-Stars, I cannot wait to watch Maura take over Love Island USA’s social media channels this summer – and have no doubt we’ll be seeing a lot more of her on our screens in the near future.
As we wrap up our conversation, she teases what’s to come…
It’s been a whirlwind few years for you. What’s next?
“My main goal right now is presenting. I’m so excited because this year, there’s been some really, really, REALLY good conversations, so I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that that happens for me.”
Maura spoke to Goss.ie as she launched Rockshore’s summer campaign – which celebrates the unique Irish chemistry, wit and banter only found in true Irish friendships. All of which comes from a place of love and affection.
This summer, Rockshore shines a light on Ireland’s most intriguing nicknames and their back stories, transforming the funniest back stories into new, unforgettable adventures between friends.
Revealing her childhood nicknames, Maura told us: “The main one was Caspar, because I’m very pale. I’m the palest person you’ll ever see in your life. I’ve typical Irish skin, I don’t tan I just get a few freckles – thanks Mammy!”
“And then the other one, which my friends in the UK think is horrible but it’s not, it’s hilarious… So I’ve not been blessed with a backside, my bum is very, very flat so another nickname I got was Longback Higgins because my back is just never ending! It’s savage, but it’s so funny.”
She continued: “In Ireland, we don’t compliment each other. Us slagging each other off is compliments, and that feels like home to me. Like if someone compliments me, and people in the UK do give a lot of compliments, I get awkward.”
“Whereas if someone’s telling me ‘You look like s**t today Maura’, I love that. It makes me happy. It’s so odd! I think it’s because us Irish can’t take compliments because we’re so used to slagging each other off and that’s our friendships. It’s just typical Ireland!”
Rockshore are inviting people across the country to nominate their friends with the funniest nickname stories on radio and across their social media to win an incredible trip to Australia.
Inspired by the bracing west coast of Ireland, Rockshore is a crisp, light and refreshing tasting beer, brewed in Ireland. Find out more here.
