She turned Love Island upside down in 2019 as a bombshell contestant and her unfiltered fiery antics led to that year being the most-watched series in the show’s history.
And now Maura Higgins, 33, is set to work that same magic on I’m A Celebrity as she enters her second ITV show as a late arrival tonight and warns viewers, ‘You’re not ready.’
And in an unexpected twist, the Irish TV personality has netted more likes on her Jungle announcement than any other contestant this year, more than Coleen Rooney, 39, and GK Barry’s, 25, combined.
A TV source told MailOnline: ‘At the beginning, everyone thought it was going to be Coleen or GK Barry that was the hook for this series, but it appears it’s going to be Maura.
‘She’s got that perfect ‘second wave’ energy and it’s so funny she’s coming in with a Reverend, it’s going to be amazing.
Maura Higgins turned Love Island upside down in 2019 as a bombshell contestant and her unfiltered fiery antics led to that year being the most-watched series in the show’s history
And now the star is set to work that same magic on I’m A Celebrity as she enters her second ITV show as a late arrival tonight and warns viewers: ‘You’re not ready’
‘Firecracker energy is what’s needed in the camp right now as they all seem to be getting on a bit too well…
‘There are a lot of strong women in there so the race for Queen of the Jungle is going to be a tough one, especially now that she’s [Maura] in the mix.’
On the I’m A Celebrity Instagram page, the announcement yesterday that Maura was entering the Jungle has already received 223,000 likes – head and shoulders above the existing campmates.
Gen Z TikTok star, GK Barry, was leading with 150,000 likes, followed by super Wag, Coleen Rooney who netted 45,000, and then the former X-Factor judge, Tulisa Contostavlos, with 39,000.
If Instagram likes are anything to go by, it seems it’s the women’s year when it comes to popularity, as the man with the most likes was McFly’s Danny Jones who received 20,000.
And the support from her dedicated fan base has already been felt by Maura as she told MailOnline: ‘I just don’t want to let people down because everyone’s been DMing me, and there’s been so many people like, ‘Oh my God, I hope you’re doing the show. I can’t wait to see you on the show.’
‘And I’m like, I don’t want to back out of the trials and be the biggest wimp in the camp.
‘It’s been five years since I’ve been on TV. That’s a long time, it’s crazy.’
And in an unexpected twist, the Irish TV personality has netted more likes on her Jungle announcement than any other contestant this year, more than Coleen Rooney, 39, and GK Barry’s, 25, combined
A TV source told MailOnline: ‘At the beginning, everyone thought it was going to be Coleen or GK Barry that was the hook for this series, but it appears it’s going to be Maura
She will join the likes of Coleen Rooney, Oti Mabuse, and Danny Jones in the jungle as a late entry alongside Reverend Richard Coles
It comes after fans were left fearing the Love Island US Aftersun host had quit the show before she had even begun after she posted pictures of herself partying in Vegas, the day she was due to touch Down Under.
She said: ‘Well, I mean, I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t tell people. Everyone was pressuring me in my DMs saying, ‘Why are you in Vegas?
‘You should be in Australia. I’ve put a bet on you to be in the show,’ and I’m like, oh, no, pressure, guys, Jesus.’
Ahead of her Jungle stint Maura also admitted she has made the most of reality as she loaded up on ‘all my favourite foods and red wine’ before being forced to live off rice and beans.
She said: ‘No [I haven’t prepared], I have probably been doing the worst thing by loading up on all my favourite foods, drinking as much red wine as I can and eating as much pasta.
‘I probably should have weaned myself off things, but that’s not how my brain works!’
On the I’m A Celebrity Instagram page, the announcement yesterday that Maura was entering the Jungle has already received 223,000 likes – head and shoulders above the existing campmates
In recent days the celebrities have been soaked by heavy rainfall in the jungle and Maura said she believes the hit show will be ‘the hardest thing she has ever done’ as she has ‘never slept outside’ camping before.
However the Irish model said she is ‘ready to step outside my comfort zone’ as the show is a ‘real pinch me moment’.
She added: ‘I hope I do make myself proud and I am both excited but also very nervous, because I am scared of absolutely everything.
‘It is quite scary going in later. They have all met and got to know each other. It’s never easy being the newbie, but I am not a shy person, so I feel like I will be fine. It will be nice to bring some energy to the camp.’
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