The latest contestant to join I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Maura Higgins, has previously opened up about the ‘dark thoughts’ she experienced after her stint on Love Island.
The 33-year-old Irish TV star first graced our screens as a surprise bombshell contestant on the 2019 series of the reality dating show, alongside Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague.
She is set to make another bombshell entry as a campmate on I’m A Celeb, with hosts Ant and Dec hinting at a special challenge awaiting her upon arrival.
Maura has been candid about her mental health struggles following her initial appearance on ITV2’s Love Island.
During an episode of Married At First Sight expert Paul C Brunson’s podcast, she confessed that being thrust into the public eye was an incredibly challenging period in her life, reports OK!.
After the show, she found herself far from home, living out of a suitcase as she embarked on a new career. She revealed on the We Need To Talk podcast: “Life after Love Island was a very hard time in my life… I was just dropped to the UK. It was like someone just picked me up, dropped me to the UK and I was in the public eye. I had nowhere to live. I had no friends, no family, nobody I could trust.”
“I had a breakdown. I had dark thoughts, very dark thoughts… And it got to a stage where I don’t even think I told my mam. I tell my mum everything. I didn’t tell her how bad it was… I didn’t want to be here anymore. I thought that was going to be the best thing.”
She continued: “There was so much expected from me. And because I was there on my own, I was like, ‘I’ve just got nobody to help’.”
Maura also opened up about the difficulties she faced post-villa, particularly with her father, whose absence in her youth was compounded by a worsening relationship after her parents’ divorce. Following a particularly distressing phone call, they ceased communication entirely.
She disclosed: “It’s kind of weird. We haven’t spoken in a few years now. My dad spoke to me not very nice. I’m not saying it was just a bit of an argument. It was horrendous where I physically couldn’t breathe after the phone call.”
“I thought to myself, ‘I wouldn’t let a partner talk to me like that. I wouldn’t let a friend talk to me like that. I’m not going to let my dad talk to me like that.’ But also, I think if I dig deep, I don’t think I’ve ever forgiven my dad for not being there for me when my best friend passed away. And he wasn’t there for me.”
I’m A Celebrity continues tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX