Maura Higgins calls out Love Island star for commenting on Molly-Mae Hague ‘poverty’ backlash

Maura Higgins has called out a fellow Love Island star for commenting on the backlash Molly-Mae Hague is currently receiving for comments on wealth inequality and poverty.

Hague, a former contestant on the ITV2 series, made the remarks on a YouTube series titled The Diary of a CEO and, on Monday (10 January), issued an apology to those she said had “misunderstood” her intentions.

In the clip, which was shared on Twitter, Hague said: “I just think you’re given one life and it’s down to you what you do with it. You can literally go in any direction.”

Hague continued: “When I’ve spoken in the past I’ve been slammed a little bit, with people saying, ‘It’s easy for you to say that, you’ve not grown up in poverty, you’ve not grown up with major money struggles. So for you to sit there and say we all have the same 24 hours in a day is not correct.’ And I’m like, but technically what I’m saying is correct – we do.

“So I understand we all have different backgrounds and we’re raised in different ways and have different financial situations, but if you want something enough you can achieve it and it just depends to what lengths you want to go to get to where you want to be in the future.”

After the video went viral, many called Hague out for her comments, with many branding them “out of touch” and “tone deaf”.

One such person was former Love Island star Shaughna Phillips who, while defending Hague to a degree, said she thinks she will look back on the comments with regret.

“Molly-Mae is young, who’s had a lot of success really quickly, and not a lot of ‘life’,” Phillips wrote: “So I can understand why she holds those views. We all say things when we’re younger and look back and think ‘well that was stupid’.

She added: “No shade, I wanna live in her bubble.”

Higgins immediately questioned why Phillips was wading into the debate, replying: “Surely you know as someone in this industry how lonely and scary it can be when the whole internet is slamming you.

“You’re entitled to your opinion yes but I’m really surprised you commenting on this at all.”

Phillips, unperturbed by Higgins’ response, said: “100 per cent! That’s why I tweeted this in her defence. She’s young and successful, it’s not her fault she has those views. Like I said, no shade, just jel lol.”

She later tweeted: “No I need to learn to just shut up I annoy myself lol.”

A representative for Hague told The Independent: “Molly is not commenting on anyone else’s life or personal situation – she can only speak of her own experience.”

The former reality star announced her appointment with Pretty Little Thing last year, attracting criticism for her involvement in the fast fashion brand that was found to be paying garment workers in Leicester just £3.50 per hour following a 2020 investigation by The Sunday Times.