Rebekah Vardy suspects that an awkward drama between Maura Higgins and another I'm A Celebrity castmate is brewing. Maura made her late arrival into the Australian jungle alongside Reverend Richard Coles on Thursday night. As part of their late arrival, the pair were assigned the challenge to convince their fellow campmates that life in the Jungle Junkyard is really tough - despite having been assigned luxury accommodation, unbeknown to other celebrities.
For now, Maura and Reverend Coles will stay mostly separate from the other stars, except while taking part in challenges with them. However, Rebekah suspects that tensions will reach arise when Maura returns to camp and comes face to face with fellow campmate Barry McGuigan.
Before appearing on Love Island in 2019, Maura was romantically involved with Barry's son Shane. The former couple first met in 2018 at a David Haye vs Tony Bellew boxing rematch where Maura was working as a ring girl and Shane was commenting for a radio show. The pair reportedly dated for a couple of years before breaking up, as they found it difficult to continue their relationship since Maura was living in Ireland at the time and Shane was in London.
While it's unclear whether Maura met her ex's father Barry at all, viewers think they will address the relationship on the show. Shane, who has followed in his father's footsteps and now works as a boxing coach in London, is engaged to singer-songwriter Taylor West - and they have two sons, Finley and Calean, who were born in 2023 and 2024.
Regarding the matter, Rebekah wrote in her column for The Sun: "I sense that Maura is going to be a handful but I love her already. I wonder how Barry will feel when he sees her again, especially after dating his son. Come on, Maura. Spill the tea!"
A source previously told the publication: "Maura has brains and beauty, and she quickly caught Shane's eye. Maura and Shane's romance was reportedly short-lived due to their hectic schedules and distance between them."
According to the Express, a source revealed: "They went on a few dates and had fun, but Maura lives in Ireland, Shane is running his successful boxing gym in London, and then she was travelling for work so it wasn't easy to pull off," adding: "There were no hard feelings when it ended. It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out."
Maura gained fame after appearing on the fifth series of Love Island in 2019. The star made it all the way to the final finishing at fourth place with Curtis Pritchard. Following the show, she took on various projects, including competing on Dancing on Ice in 2020, hosting Love Island USA last year, and now appearing in the jungle.
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