Ex-Love Island contestant Maura Higgins has opened up about her past relationship with Curtis Prichard, who’s set to return to the show tonight. The pair hit it off in the Mallorcan villa back in 2019 and continued their romance for eight months after leaving the island.
Despite seeming like a solid couple, they eventually parted ways. Maura, hailing from Ireland, is now rumoured to be dating former TOWIE star Pete Wicks.
On the other hand, Curtis, who is from Stoke-on-Trent and still has family in Sneyd Green, is hoping to find his perfect match in the South African villa as part of the All Star edition of the popular ITV dating series. Ahead of his re-entry, Maura has shared her thoughts on her ex-beau.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Maura admitted that her relationship with Curtis lacked genuine passion. “You’re in this confined space and maybe you think you like someone that you probably wouldn’t on the outside,” she revealed.
There are reports suggesting Maura is “worried” that Curtis might spill some secrets about their past relationship when he returns to the show. Before the full line-up was announced, an insider told The Sun: “Curtis signing for All Stars is more than awkward for Maura just as she’s fallen for Pete and they’ve finally gone public with their love.
Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard
(Image: No credit)
“The split with Curtis wasn’t the best and Maura always worried he’d be the ex that could blab. It’s also less than ideal when she’s hoping to build on her I’m A Celebrity profile and advance her career.”
Curtis has recently shed light in an interview with the Mirror on his contentious decision to end things with Amy Hart during series five and pursue a connection with Maura, an event that precipitated Amy’s departure from the villa as she chose not to continue the Love Island journey. He commented: “I think with that whole Amy situation, there’s a Casa Amor bit that we may all be forgetting about.”
Detailing the conundrum faced during the Casa Amor phase, he expressed, “You’re not able to talk to your other half there, so it changes the reality of things ever so slightly. My one goal that I wanted to do when that Casa Amor bit happened was to be able to talk to Amy and let her know how I’m feeling and that it wasn’t Amy. You can’t do that in that scenario so there isn’t anything I could learn or change from that too much really. It’s a bit of a tricky one there. I feel like I’m normally – touch wood – very respectful. I try to be anyway.”
As well as Curtis’s insights, the upcoming Love Island series promises the return of several fan favourites to the villa, including Marcel Somerville, Luca Bish, Nas Majeed, and India Reynolds, who are all hoping for another chance at love in their quest for a fairytale ending.
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