Maura Higgins: ‘There Are More Layers To Me Than Who I’m Dating’

The Ballymahon native, who arrived as a surprise latecomer on ITV's reality show with Reverend Richard Coles, was an unsurprising hit with viewers during her time in the Australian jungle, finishing in seventh place after proving her ability to overcome most of our worst fears during the terrifying trials.

‘I surprised myself a lot. I've definitely learned that I'm much stronger than I ever thought,’ she tells Grazia. ‘I knew I was strong, but I'm not the best around crickets and bugs so I knew I'd struggle with the trials. But I did promise myself before going on the show that I will not say “I'm a celebrity, get me out of here” and I stuck by that so I'm very proud of myself for that.’

Describing the experience as ‘the best three weeks of my life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually’, she adds, ‘I'm A Celebrity was that opportunity to dive into who I am as a person and show the world that I'm not just this feisty character 24/7. I do have a soft side.’

Maura’s arrival in the jungle coincided with fever-pitch speculation about her love life, amid rumours she's dating Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks, claims which she touched on in the jungle when discussing how invasive tabloids can be (in one hilarious scene, she told Grace Beverly they'd 'already been papped with our tongues down each others throats') but ultimately, it's her work she'd rather people were discussing.

‘I get that there's always this speculation around my love life and I totally understand because the first big show I was on was Love Island,’ she says. ‘But there's so much more to me. There are so many more layers to me than who I'm dating. That's what I really, really wanted to show in there, a million percent.’

While she doesn’t ‘put or feel pressure’ to stay in shape or conform to beauty standards, Maura enjoyed the opportunity to be freed from society’s expectations.

‘Stripping everything back and not having to worry about getting your makeup and tan on and your hair done was so lovely. I enjoyed it, which surprised me a lot,’ she reveals. ‘The only thing I really missed was my skincare, but I didn't miss my makeup or anything like that. We didn’t think about [our looks] because we didn’t have mirrors in there. At one stage, my wooden toothbrush had blue mould on it and I still brushed my teeth with it. You get to a point where you just do not care.’

In between the trials and tribulations of camp life, there were poignant moments when Maura, 34, opened up to her campmates. ‘I definitely struggle to open up,’ she admits. ‘I open up to my close friends and family and that's about it. But in there, we just all got on so, so well and it felt a very safe space. There was no one judging. Everyone was just on each other’s sides so I felt really at ease around everyone.’

And she's excited to see what the future brings. 'I work my arse off and I’ll keep climbing that ladder to achieve what I want to achieve,' she says. ‘I'm living my best life. I feel so grateful for the amazing opportunities that I get given. I'm just living each day as it comes and feeling very, very grateful and lucky.’