Maura Higgins has firmly confirmed she is single, but she does have an awkward connection with one of her fellow campmates thanks to her colourful love life.
After weeks of rumours swirling that the former Love Island star is romantically linked with Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks, with the pair having been spotted kissing at the Pride of Britain Awards last month, Maura shut down suggestions they are together. As she hit Down Under ahead of her arrival to the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! camp on Thursday, Maura told the Mirror that the relationship is nothing serious.
Asked if she had been dating the former TOWIE star, the 33-year-old responded coyly: "I mean, I've been on a date with many people." Keen to play the romance down, she explained: "I'm not [dating]. Where have you heard that? I date but I'm very much single."
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Getty Images)But she is however now in Australia competing to be crowned Queen of the Jungle against one of her exes dads. Maura was previously linked with the son of Barry McGuigan - boxing coach Shane McGuigan, 36. Maura and Shane briefly dated in May 2018 after the pair met when she was booked as a ring girl for the David Haye vs Tony Bellew rematch.
At the time, Shane was there covering the match. The pair dated for a short time before splitting amicably, and are said to have remained friends. At the time of their romance, a source told The Sun: "Maura has brains and beauty and she quickly caught Shane's eye. They got chatting and had instant chemistry so of course he asked her out.
"At the time Maura lived in Ireland, and Shane was running his boxing gym in London, and she was travelling a lot for work so it wasn't easy to pull off." They added: "There were no hard feelings when it ended. It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out."
Speaking ahead of her stint on I'm A Celebrity, Maura commented on her fellow campmates, suggesting that she had never got to meet Shane's father. She said: "I reckon I'd get on really well with Barry McGuigan. You know, Irish, I think, very humorous."
Shane has clearly moved on as he is now engaged to Taylor West, a singer/songwriter from Buckinghamshire. They have two sons together - Finley, who was born in 2022, and Calean who they welcomed in 2024.
Meanwhile, Pete, 36, who is still in the running for the Strictly Glitterball, is said to be cosying up with his professional dance partner Jowita Przystal this week and reports suggest the chemistry between the pair is "intensifying". It's claimed the 30-year-old dancer's behaviour with her celebrity partner is the talk of the cast behind the scenes.
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