Who is I'm a Celebrity's Maura Higgins? Past TV appearances and Strictly ex-boyfriend

In last night's I'm a Celebrity, fans finally found out who the two late comers were going to be. The pair will be arriving to the camp with a 'secret mission'.

Maura Higgins and Reverend Richard Coles will be entering the jungle tonight, November 21. And although rumours of their participation in the ITV game show have been circulating for weeks there may be some fans wondering who the pair are.

And while fans had been certain Love Islander Maura would be in the initial line-up they were surprised to find her name missing. The 33-year-old has been in Las Vegas, as she jetted off with beauty brand, Space NK, only a matter of days before her stint in the Australian jungle.

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Maura will join some big names who have already settled into jungle life, including Coronation Street's Alan Halsall, Coleen Rooney, former Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse and McFly's Danny Jones among others.

Who is I'm a Celebrity's Maura Higgins?

The 33-year-old rose to prominence in 2019 when she was a finalist on ITV2 reality series Love Island. While she didn't win the reality show, the TV personality has made a name for herself and collaborated with a number of fashion and makeup brands.

As well as Love Island and I'm a Celebrity, Maura has competed on another ITV show. She was a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2020 and has also featured on Cooking with the stars.

Maura was born in Ireland and has three siblings, two sisters and a brother. Before appearing on Love Island she appeared in the visuals of Liam Payne's song "Get Low" in 2017, but her rise to fame came two years later because of her bold personality on Love Island.

Maura's relationships

Maura and actor Curtis Pritchard were in a relationship after meeting on Love Island, where they placed fourth. Once leaving the villa the romance continued. But in an Instagram post uploaded in 2020, the reality star confirmed they've split up as she said they 'couldn't make it work'.

Another romance was with Strictly professional dancer Giovanni Pernice. The pair split up in early October 2021 after dating for four months. Giovanni addressed the split on social media, saying that "great relationships with great people can come to a natural end".

Rumours have been circulating of a romance between the I'm a Celeb contestant and Pete Wicks after the pair were spotted together at the Pride of Britain awards last month.

In an interview with the Mirror she put the rumours to bed as she said: “I'm not [dating]. Where have you heard that? I date but I'm very much single,” she says. “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.”