Maura Higgins has responded to rumours she’s “secretly dating” Joey Essex.
The Irish Love Island star was papped kissing the TOWIE star backstage at the Pride Of Britain Awards last Monday.
Earlier today, a source told OK! Magazine that Maura and Joey started secretly seeing each other before the awards show, and that the pair are “smitten”.
However, Maura has since shut down these claims.
The Longford native retweeted the article on Monday morning, and wrote: “More rubbish”, alongside a yawning emoji.
More rubbish 🥱 https://t.co/i00UFRO4wI
— Maura Higgins (@MauraHiggins) October 31, 2022
In photos published by MailOnline last week, Maura was seen locking lips with Joey at the Red Bar in London’s Grosvenor House.
The reality stars put on an amorous display as they were also seen sharing an intimate hug before they left the venue in a taxi with friends.
A source later told The Sun that there’s a real “connection” between them, and that they were planning their first date.
Maura was rumoured to be dating footballer Connor Wickham in May, after she jetted to Paris with a mystery man.
However, the 31-year-old later revealed she “couldn’t be any more single” during a Q&A on Instagram.
After a follower asked if she was single in July, Maura said: “This question just never stops coming up. Like every single Q&A I do ‘are you single, are you in a relationship, are you dating, have you a bae?’”
“Like YES, I’m single. I’m very single, I couldn’t be any more f***ing single, I may as well just go into Love Island again!”
Maura was linked to Connor after her split from Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice last October, after four months together.
It’s understood their relationship hit the rocks just days after they moved in together, and Maura was said to be “devastated” at the time.
Prior to her relationship with Giovanni, Maura dated her Love Island co-stars Chris Taylor and Curtis Pritchard.
Meanwhile, Joey struck up a romance with Maria Thattil when they appeared on the Australian version of I’m A Celebrity earlier this year.
He also dated his TOWIE co-star Sam Faiers in the past, as well as models Brenda Santos and Amy Willerton.
The reality star is currently training for the upcoming series of Dancing On Ice, while Maura is hotly tipped to host Big Brother when it returns next year.
