Maura Higgins urged people to remember she's 'still human’ but insists she “never takes s**t from anyone” as she opened up about the pressures of fame.
From her 'fanny flutters' to her no-nonsense attitude, the Longford native cemented herself as one of the biggest names to ever come out of Love Island - and one of Ireland’s biggest stars today.
And as she enters a new decade of her life and a whole new chapter of her career presenting on RTE, she maintains: ‘I never take any s**t from anyone’.
However, she admits the pressure to live up to people’s ‘perfect’ expectations can be difficult the more her star continues to rise.
“We are all human,” she told the Irish Daily Mirror.
“Just because we are in the public eye doesn’t mean we don’t go out with no makeup on..or that we don’t walk around with a hole in our sock. We are all still human.
“I just think it is very important to show the real side.
“I feel sometimes that some people can think or expect us never to make a mistake.
“They expect us to always do everything perfectly correct.
“But we still are human. We are going to make mistakes. We are going to say the wrong thing.
“And some days we are not going to look our best, like everyone else."
Whilst personal questions were deemed strictly off the table for our chat about her new presenting role on RTÉ’s Glow Up Ireland, Maura, who boasts over 3.3 million followers on Instagram said she wishes people would remember she has issues like everyone else going on behind the scenes.
After finishing Love Island in 2019 in fourth place, but as the most talked about and sought after stars of the series, Maura endured a highly public break-up with ex-boyfriend Curtis Pritchard, whom she met in the villa.
She went on to strike up a romantic relationship with her fellow former Love Islander Chris Taylor late last year, before publicly announcing their split to her millions of followers in May.
Now in a relationship with Strictly Come Dancing star Giovanni Pernice, she appears to be more cautious of speaking to media about her love life, but said:
“People don’t understand, you know you are still going through your own stuff as well.
“You could be going through family stuff, work stuff, hard things that you are personally going through that you are not going to speak about, but a lot of people tend to forget about that and think ‘well you’ve put yourself out there to the world. So you deserve for people to have opinions on you.
“But we are still human.
“I think that’s kind of a bit baffling to me.”
Before reaching her 30th birthday in November last year, Maura is said to have made her first million as an ambassador for some of Ireland and the UK’s biggest fashion and beauty brands, as well as appearing on a number of hit TV shows, including Dancing on Ice.
With her face now featuring on adverts, screens, and endless products throughout the industry, the Bellamianta tan brand ambassador said she’s decided to ditch fillers and aesthetic work to show off her natural beauty.
She said: “I went through a phase of getting lip filler when I came out of the villa, maybe two months after the villa, I went straight to get my lip filler.
“And if that’s something people want to do then fair.
“I think that is everyone’s own choice to be honest.”
Whilst she said she has no regrets, she went on to explain: “For me, now, it’s not something that I want to get done, or feel I need to get done.
“Filler lasts six months and then it completely dissolves. And I’m just at a stage in my life where I'm just comfortable and happy.
“And I think if you are happy with yourself within, you don’t really feel like you need that stuff.
“But then everyone has their own reasons to want stuff like that so I am not one to judge people.
“I had my lips done a while before Love Island and then when I came out, about two months after I got them done again.
“But I’ve not had them since and that is two years ago now. And I’ve no intention of getting them done.
“It’s the same, when I was younger I was thinking of getting a boob job done, and I am so glad now that I didn’t because I am happy with how I look.
“But then there’s people who have other reasons so you just can’t judge. Each to their own.”
She added: “I’m glad I did it because it has made me realise that that’s what I don’t want.
“Like when I look back on pictures of myself I know I don’t want that look anymore.
“I’m more towards the natural side now and maybe that’s because I'm older and wiser I don’t really know.” she added.
Describing herself as someone who always knew what she wanted, even from an early age when she left school early to pursue a passion for hairdressing - Maura said her famous ‘no-filter’ attitude and striking confidence is deep rooted in her personality. And here to stay.
“It does come with age but looking back even when I was in school I was very outspoken and I never really took any sh*t from anyone,” she said.
“Whether that was people in the school or teachers or anything.
“Like I always stood up for myself and always had something to say.
“And I think that part is just in me. It’s just the way I am. There is kind of no filter there.”
Asked if it has ever got her in trouble, the Ballymahon born star added: “Yeah I’m sure it has in school many times, but that is just who I am as a person.
“And I can’t really change that.”
After a whirlwind two years working the London scene, and working as the face of Ann Summers, her new show on her own public broadcaster was like a homecoming.
And she admits, the series, which will see her back on amateur make-up artists compete to be crowned Ireland’s next make-up star, is one of her most stand-out career moments so far.
In her famous Longford brogue, she said: “Obviously for me doing my first presenting job in Ireland has been a massive pinch me moment.
“My family can’t wait to watch the show.
“It’s amazing.”
‘Glow Up’ will air on RTÉ2 from 9.35pm on Thursday, September 2
