Maura Higgins set for awkward encounter with father of ex ahead of I'm A Celeb stint

Maura Higgins is set to face a challenge ahead of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here as she is to come face to face with her ex boyfriend's father - Barry McGuigan

Former Love Island star Maura Higgins is to have her first challenge ahead of entering the Australian jungle - as she's set to meet up with her ex boyfriend's father, Barry McGuigan.

The reality TV star, 33, who shot to fame on Love Island in 2019, dated his son Shane before she was propelled into the heady heights of fame. Maura, who is now dating Strictly Come Dancing's Pete Wicks, dated Shane in 2018 when she worked as a ring girl for gambling organisation William Hill.

Maura was reportedly on ring card duty for the boxing match between David Haye and Tony Bellew, which was a re-match, and Shane was there to commentate for a radio show. A source told The Sun at the time: "Maura has brains and beauty and she quickly caught Shane's eye. They got chatting and had instant chemistry so of course he asked her out. "

At the time Maura lived in Ireland, and Shane was the head of a boxing gym, so meeting up was reportedly difficult to cement, as they lived in different areas. They added: "There were no hard feelings when it ended. It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out." Following a few dates, the pair decided to call it quits. But the friend told the publication: "They've crossed paths and have remained friends. No doubt he'll be the one watching and cheering Maura on from the sidelines this time."

Now that news has emerged of Maura dating Strictly's Pete Wicks, all eyes are on the new couple. An insider told the publication: "With Tommy Fury pulling out it gave show bosses the opportunity to look at other Love Island stars and Maura stood out as the perfect candidate. She'll bringing a bit of glamour to the jungle and make a brilliant campmate because she's got a great sense of humour and is bound to get on with everyone."

Last month, Maura revealed that she had dark thoughts that led to suicide thoughts on the back of receiving fame following Love Island. In an interview with Married At First Sight expert Paul C Brunson on his podcast, We Need To Talk, she said: "It was very hard. I was dropped to the UK, in the public eye, had nowhere to live, no friends, no family, no-one I could trust."

When asked by Paul how dark things became for the reality TV star, she admitted: "I didn't want to be here anymore, I thought that was the best thing. I felt like there was so much expected of me and because I was there on my own, there was nobody to help. Moving country while being thrown into the public eye is terrifying."

Luckily for Maura she had a support network to help her. The TV star then explained: "My girlfriend back in Ireland called my agent at the time, behind my back; she's a a queen. She basically demanded that I come back to Ireland for a break." And this became the remedy for Maura to resume her life in London and the UK.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads