I'm A Celeb star Maura Higgins was 'so ill' after doctor found item inside her after three months

Maura Higgins is set to provide some fresh blood in the I'm A Celeb camp tonight as she finally enters the jungle. The former Love Island star has had a meteoric rise to fame since arriving as a bombshell on the ITV dating show in 2019.

Since then she's had her own clothing line, hosted the Irish edition of BBC make-up reality show Glow Up and even been an agony aunt on This Morning. With stints on Dancing on Ice and Cooking with the Stars, it's hard to have missed Maura.

But what do we know about Maura's life away from the cameras? Below we look at her life from serious health battles that she has used to help others, to her love life and famous ex.

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Maura Higgins' near-fatal health condition

Maura previously opened up about her near-fatal encounter with toxic shock syndrome (TSS), after accidentally leaving a tampon inside her body for three months which was only discovered by a doctor when she got 'so ill'.

While appearing on Shopping with Keith Lemon in 2022, Maura raised awareness about the potential dangers and shared her harrowing experience, saying: "I did have a very bad experience. I'm not a doctor, I don't know much about that [TSS], but I know you are not meant to leave a tampon inside for more than, I think it's nine hours, I think that's the max.

"There was a tampon inside me for three months. When the doctor found it, it was stuck to my cervix. And I was so ill. I did not know what was going on....

"'There were people that have died from that happening. Young girls might not have noticed, like you go on a night out, what if you got really drunk and forgot, like, these things actually do happen, and people don't speak about it."

She added that it was an important topic to discuss and there was no shame in periods. Toxic shock syndrome is a life-threatening bacterial infection requiring immediate medical attention, according to the NHS. It occurs when usually harmless staphylococcus aureus or streptococcus bacteria, which live on the skin, invade the bloodstream and release dangerous toxins.

Symptoms include a high temperature, muscle aches, a raised skin rash that feels like sandpaper and flu-like symptoms.

Maura Higgins 'bedridden' after battle with unexplained condition

In 2022, Maura revealed she had been bedridden and had 'severe inflammation around her bladder'. Speaking to The Sun, she said: "Thanks for all of your lovely messages! A lot of you want a Q&A on what's going on with me but I can't do a Q&A because I'm as much in the dark as you guys, this is why I'm getting tests done.

"However, we did figure something out today I've got severe inflammation around my bladder and we don't know why. I have to get more tests done but it's very strange.

"I actually went in for an ultrasound today, that was the appointment, and he was doing an internal check and afterward I said, "That kind of felt like a smear test". And he was like, "It was". And I didn't even know he was doing a smear test!"

She added: "These doctors and gynaecologists see hundreds of vaginas every single day. Don't be scared, don't be uncomfortable, it's so so important. They're used to it, it's their job."

Maura Higgins's love life and famous ex

Maura recently defiantly declared she was single despite having been pictured kissing and on dates recently with Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks. The rebuff comes just days after Pete, 36, and Maura enjoyed a date night last week before she jetted off to Australia ahead of her entry into the I'm A Celebrity jungle on Thursday.

She said: "I'm not [in a relationship with Mr Wicks]. I've been on dates with many people. I mean, I date, but I'm very much single. Everyone goes on dates."

Maura previously dated axed Strictly pro Giovanni Pernice in 2021. He reportedly moved in with the Irish beauty early on into their romance, but the fireworks were short lived and the pair split in October 2021.

She has also been linked to Joey Essex and American stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton.