Maura Higgins has become a household name over the last few years, but her career began long before Love Island – and the 34-year-old has seen her fair share of success
Reality TV queen Maura Higgins has seen her star power soar since setting foot in the Love Island villa in 2019. Known for her sharp wit and hilarious one-liners, the 34 year old bombshell has become a beloved television stalwart and has smoothly transitioned to a career in presenting, featuring on various shows along the way.
With an impressive net worth of £3.2 million, Maura recently marked another milestone by snagging her very own “dream house” earlier this year. But let’s not forget where it all started – before becoming a household name, Maura honed her skills as a hairdresser and was also a glamorous ring girl for famed fighters like Anthony Joshua.
Her Love Island journey was no less than spectacular, with a romance with Curtis Pritchard that lasted eight months post-villa life. In a candid chat on Paul C. Brunson’s podcast We Need To Talk in 2024, Maura dished the dirt on their coupling, confessing Curtis wasn’t her “dream man” and actually far from her usual “type”.
Speaking about her experience on Love Island and the dynamics within the villa, Maura Higgins shared: “When you’re locked in a house, I say locked but you’re in a house and you’re in there for X amount of time. You’re going to start liking people that you wouldn’t normally like,” reports the Mirror.
Co-host Paul then cheekily quipped: “So there’s a bunch of why not men in there? ” To which Maura replied: “Well yeah! They’re not your dream man. It’s the aim of the game.”
Despite not finding everlasting romance during her stint on Love Island, Maura hasn’t waved goodbye to the famous villa just yet. In a sizzling twist of fate, she’s come full circle, taking up the mantle as the social ambassador for Love Island USA.
Taking to Instagram with her trademark gusto, she said, “I’M BACK! ! ! ! ! ! Bringing you all the behind the scenes gossip live from Fiji for @loveislandusa,” flaunting her new and exciting role. But that’s just a sliver of her ever-growing resume. The reality star-turned-presenter has been busy dazzling as the social media face for Love Island Games and helming the much-buzzed-about Love Island USA: Aftersun.
And let’s sprinkle in some more sparkle – Maura also graced television screens as the host of the inaugural Irish series of Glow Up, teasing the glam-filled show back in 2021 with a post saying, “Episode one complete, I can not wait for you all to see the first ever series of Glow Up Ireland. Coming soon,”.
Away from sunny shores and makeup transformations, Maura isn’t shy about throwing herself into diverse challenges, proving her versatility across the board. She’s spiced up the kitchen in 2022’s Cooking With The Stars and gracefully glided through to week seven in 2021’s Dancing On Ice, always leaving fans clamouring for more of her infectious energy and undeniable charm.
Maura also quickly became a fan favourite after she joined I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! as a surprise latecomer with Reverend Richard Coles. Battling through bush tucker trials, the pair worked up quite the camaraderie.
Maura just missed out on a spot in the final four, proving her reality TV prowess once again since her Love Island days.
But it’s not just reality TV where Maura shines; she’s been making waves as an actress too. Her first role was in the comedy ‘The Spin’, which debuted at the Belfast Film Festival, showcasing her versatile talent.
Embracing her roots, Maura shared with Digital Spy, “The Irish are known for our storytelling, so it felt fitting that my acting debut would be in an Irish film,” reflecting on her experience of being both thrilled and a tad nervous embarking on this new journey: “Although I am comfortable in front of the camera, it did still feel nerve-wracking at first, but chatting with the brilliant cast and crew helped me relax.”
Beyond her screen success, she’s also teamed up with fashion giants Boohoo and Oh Polly, consistently setting style trends. Earlier this year, Maura had another major milestone to celebrate – she finally bought her “dream home”.
She couldn’t resist giving her followers a glimpse of the luxurious abode, especially the stunning kitchen complete with an expansive island and an eye-catching waterfall chandelier, proudly captioning the reveal with: “Bought my dream home.”