I'm A Celeb star Maura Higgins' awkward clash with Molly-Mae over Tommy Fury bombshell

After Love Islander Maura Higgins confessed her feelings for Tommy Fury, it seemed like she and Molly-Mae could never be friends - but they soon proved everyone wrong

Maura Higgins and Molly-Mae are now best friends, but they didn't always see eye-to-eye in the Love Island villa.

It's safe to say Maura ruffled her fair share of feathers when she burst onto our screens in 2019, so we can expect a whole lot of drama and fun in the jungle. Reality TV star Maura and Reverend Richard Coles are the two new faces joining I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! tonight.

One person guaranteed to be tuning in to see Maura's stint Down Under is fellow ex-Islander Molly-Mae Hague, who is one of her closest friends. The YouTuber and influencer, 25, recently split from her fiancé, boxer Tommy Fury, whom she met on the ITV dating show with Maura five years ago.

Molly and Maura were both on the same series of Love Island and awkwardly clashed about Tommy at the start. The Irish star famously told Tommy she had 'fanny flutters' during their first date, but he ultimately chose to pursue a romance with Molly instead. As the show went on, Molly and Maura became super close.

After leaving the villa, the trio were spotted hanging out together and Molly insisted it was all firmly in the past. She wrote on Instagram: "I've had so many messages about Maura being here and hanging out with me and Tommy and stuff, you have to understand that it's really ok."

"Me and Maura didn't even know each other then, we weren't even friends," she continued. "Like it's a different story if it's your mate, Jesus. That's just like a no go, but it's really not deep. We weren't friends when that happened. But now, if she tries to go for him now..."

Molly cleared up: "Tommy and Maura are like brother and sister now, I know that seems weird to some of you guys... but for us three it's really not. We're like best mates." On Love Island: What Happens Next, Molly sat down to watch an unseen clip of Tommy flirting with Maura on the show.

"Myself and Maura are literally best friends now, so this is not gonna be fun to watch. I'm dreading this a lot," she said. A clip then showed Maura asking Tommy: "Does she turn you on like I do?" It came after Tommy admitted he was "hugely attracted" to her. Molly awkwardly laughed it off.

When Tommy and Molly got engaged last year, Maura was one of the first to share their announcement picture on her story with the caption: "SCREEEEAMING". And after Molly and Tommy announced their shock split in August, Maura took to Instagram to comment on her best friend's solo picture, "LOVE & ADORE YOU."

Just weeks later, Molly launched her clothing brand, Maebe, and Maura attended the VIP launch dinner, sharing on her story: "Proud of you my angel." Now, Molly has returned the favour, writing a comment on Maura's I'm A Celeb announcement that simply reads "Queen", accompanied by a love heart emoji.

Speaking to the Mirror about joining the show, Maura shared: "It's been five years [since Love Island] and I think I've matured, but I still have a potty mouth. I'm still the same kind of girl but I'm not going to go in and annihilate anyone. However, if someone gets on my nerves, I'm not really one to hold it in. I do speak my mind. If someone patronized me, I get really irritated. Like, that's one thing that really drives me mad."

• I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! airs every night at 9PM on ITV1 and ITV X.