I'm A Celeb star Maura Higgins shares unconventional prep for stint on ITV show

Unlike many who gear up for the jungle by ditching the drink, Love Island's Maura Higgins took a different route. Fresh from a Las Vegas party spree, she landed in Australia feeling worse for wear.

"Honestly, I'm not good....I feel like I'm in The Hangover, I've even got the shakes," she told The Mirror. "I have no clue what time it is, I don't know where I am. In fact, I've done the opposite of preparing myself [for the jungle]. I've tried not to think about it, because when I think about it, I get so much anxiety."

Maura's unique approach to pre-jungle life may be forgiven as she's set to be only the second Love Island contestant, following Olivia Attwood, to brave the ITV challenge. She's keen to represent her fellow Islanders well.

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"I just don't want to let people down, because everyone's been DMing me, saying 'Oh my God, I hope you're doing the show.'" she says. Determined not to shy away from trials, she doesn't want to be seen as the camp's biggest wimp.

The Irish reality star's mum was shocked to hear of her daughter's latest adventure. "She nearly died. She went: 'Maura, how are you going to do that? ' She is baffled as I'm more of an indoor girl...I like my hotels. I've never slept outside," Maura said.

Even at festivals, she's always opted for hotel comfort over camping. "I'm always like, 'no, get me back to a hotel,'" she adds with a laugh.

Maura Higgins is bracing herself for the challenges of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, admitting that the thought of spiders crawling over her head is a daunting one. "If spiders go over the top of my head, I might just die," she confesses.

Despite her tough exterior, Maura is apprehensive about the trials, saying "I'm not a nervous person at all. I don't get anxiety. But for this show, when I think about it, I'm like, 'Oh God'."

As she prepares to enter the jungle alongside Rev Richard Coles as a late arrival, Maura reflects on how she's changed since her Love Island days in 2019. "It's been five years and I think I've matured, but I still have a potty mouth," she says.

"I'm still the same kind of girl but I'm not going to go in and annihilate anyone. However, if someone gets on my nerves, I'm not really one to hold it in. I do speak my mind. If someone patronised me, I get really irritated. Like, that's one thing that really drives me mad."

Maura's personal life has been making headlines, with speculation surrounding her relationship with Strictly star Pete Wicks after they were spotted kissing at the Pride of Britain Awards. When asked about the rumours, Maura plays it cool, saying: "I mean, I've been on a date with many people."

She insists she's single and finds the interest in her dating life: "Honestly, I just think the interest in my dating life is so boring. People go on dates. Like everyone goes on dates, but then it suddenly becomes that I am in a relationship with this person, or that person.

"Honestly, I just think the interest in my dating life is so boring. People go on dates. Like everyone goes on dates, but then it suddenly becomes that I am in a relationship with this person, or that person."

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Maura is embracing a more natural look for her latest TV challenge, expressing excitement about the show's "proper stripped back" nature.

"I've not even got my brows done...I've not done anything," she admits. "I cannot wait to just not have to get up and put makeup on and care about it, because it's not that type of show. Like, you're not really in there to look good, are you?"

She's also looking forward to a break from technology, recalling her time on Love Island: "I never care about my phone really. Like, even on Love Island, a lot of the Islanders were complaining about missing their phone. I was like, 'I'm loving not having my phone'."

As ITV bosses anticipate her arrival to shake things up, Maura is keen to integrate smoothly and is particularly eager to chat with Coleen Rooney about the Wagatha Christie saga.

"I want to talk to her about that....I'm bit nosy like that," she reveals. "I would do the exact same and put up something on my story and just have certain people view it to catch that person out. That is the way my brain would work."

She's admittedly not thrilled about one aspect of jungle life – the infamous shower scene. "I mean I'd probably fall over and break my leg. Like, that's what will happen to me. I've packed my bikinis, but I haven't really thought much about it. I'm a bit worried about that water being freezing cold. I hate cold water, so I could be the girl that doesn't shower the whole time."

When asked if she was anxious about making a slip-up, she suggests the likelihood is high.

"I talk a lot, so I struggle with that. Like, I don't really think before I speak a lot of the time. So God knows what I want I am going to say," she admits. However, potential criticism from viewers doesn't faze her.

"It just doesn't bother me. I actually just find it funny. Like, I'll screenshot bad comments and put them in my group chat and we just have a laugh about that."

Looking ahead to what she wants people to gain from her participation, she expresses an earnest sentiment. "They will learn that I can be quite soft...I'm not just this hardcore girl, 24/7. I do have a big heart, so I hope they see that."

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