The Heart-Wrenching Confessions of Maura Higgins: Loss, Fame, and Finding Herself
Maura Higgins, renowned for her stint on Love Island, recently opened her heart in an emotional interview that would make anyone put down their popcorn and sit a little straighter. Talking to Paul Carrick Brunson on the “We Need to Talk” podcast, she’s tackled grief, guilt, and the dizzying heights of fame—because what’s life without a little drama, right?
Tragedy Strikes: Remembering Andrew Rowan
Higgins bravely navigated the murky waters of grief as she recalled the devastating day her best friend Andrew Rowan lost his life in a tragic motorbike accident in 2017 at just 26 years old. It’s one of those situations that feels like a bad script—only it’s all too real.
“For so long, I blamed myself,” she admitted. Ah, the classic villain of the story: guilt. It’s like an unwanted houseguest that crashes on your sofa and refuses to leave. Maura thought back to that fateful day, where a casual invitation for food turned into a harrowing memory.
The Dreaded ‘What Ifs’
Imagine this: your mate calls to say they’ve wrapped up early at work and wants to grab a bite, but you can’t be bothered because you’re still in your pajamas. Everyone knows pajamas are basically a protective hug from your bed, but in this case, they were also the last barrier before tragedy struck.
“I can’t help but think,” she reflected, “why didn’t I just go with him? If I had, we would’ve been in his car… maybe the day would have been different.” Cue the audience’s collective heart shattering into tiny pieces. But let’s be real, how often do we actually go out for food when we’re curled up like a burrito in our PJs?
Life Came Thrashing In
The loss left a gaping hole in her life, still far too fresh in her memory. “I just know it would have been different if I just got f***ing dressed,” she said, not holding back. And why should she? If there’s one thing we need more of, it’s honesty. This is a journey of profound vulnerability wrapped in realizations of how fragile life can be. Makes you rethink that extra slice of cake, doesn’t it?
Fast forward a bit, and we see Maura unveiling the darker sides of sudden fame post-Love Island. Suddenly thrust into the limelight—from cozy pyjamas to red carpets. You feel like a contestant on a reality show called “What’s Next?!” only with more paparazzi and less pizza.
“Life after Love Island was a very hard time in my life,” she disclosed, capturing that bewildering, chaotic feeling perfectly. With no grounding or support system, it’s a miracle she didn’t end up wearing a bedsheet and running from the paps while yelling, “I’m just trying to enjoy my morning coffee, for crying out loud!”
The Struggles of Fame
Feeling mentally exhausted is an understatement. “Moving country while being thrown into the public eye is terrifying,” she shared. And can you blame her? From zero to a hundred real quick—it’s not like showing up in a bikini on national television comes with a WikiHow on how to handle mental health!
Her comments about feeling miserable despite the glitzy facade illustrate a point we’ve heard before: fame isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. “I had dark thoughts, very dark thoughts,” she admitted, and it’s heartbreaking. Much like that terrible port-a-loo that celebrities pretend don’t exist on shoots, mental health is very real.
A Road to Healing
However, amidst the chaos, it seems she’s carving out her path. Maura is now the social media ambassador for Love Island USA, appearing on shows like Dancing on Ice and holding her own on This Morning. That’s resilience right there—rising from the ashes like a phoenix, or perhaps more accurately, like a person who has perfected the art of using a curling iron just right!
Final Thoughts
Maura Higgins’ journey reminds us all that beneath the shiny veneer of fame lies real emotion; people facing grief, guilt, and the shadows of their own minds. So next time you scroll through your social media, remember: every glamorous photo often comes with a backstory that includes a good dose of reality, sometimes dark, but ultimately human.
Life can be unpredictable, so if you ever find yourself wondering whether to put on pants and grab food with a mate, just remember this—sometimes saying yes might just change everything.
This article brings some cheeky humor while addressing serious matters—because, as they say, laughter is the best medicine—even if you’d look a bit odd laughing to yourself in the middle of a serious conversation.
Maura Higgins, the beloved reality TV star, emotionally recounted the profound impact of her best friend’s tragic death, grappling with feelings of guilt in a poignant interview released this Tuesday.
The model and former contestant of *Love Island*, now 33, shared her heart-wrenching memories surrounding the loss of Andrew Rowan, who died at just 26 years old in a devastating motorcycle accident involving three cars in County Athlone, Ireland, in 2017.
Maura expressed how the gut-wrenching accident served as a stark reminder of life’s fleeting nature, acknowledging that she still finds it difficult to cope with his absence.
In an in-depth conversation with Paul Carrick Brunson on his *We Need to Talk* podcast, Maura revealed, “For so long I blamed myself for it because when I look back at that day, the day was so crazy.”
Recalling the events leading up to the accident, she shared a memory that still haunts her, stating, “He called me and he’d finished work early, which wasn’t really meant to happen.” They had planned to grab a bite together, but her reluctance to stop what she was doing kept her in her pajamas, leading her to decline the offer.
“I am not as bad as I was with it but I still think ‘why didn’t I just go with him?’ He wouldn’t have been on the motorbike; we would have been in his car, we would have got food, and maybe the day would have been different,” she reflected, her voice breaking as she fought back tears.
Despite being unable to join Andrew for dinner, Maura revealed she saw him on the very day of his death, leaving an indelible mark on her psyche. “I will never forget him arriving on the bike; I remember immediately questioning why he was on it,” she recounted, emphasizing her discomfort with his choice of transportation. “He was like, ‘it’s a great day, it is a lovely day outside.'” In an eerie moment of premonition, she recalled hearing the sound of his motorbike and feeling cold shivers run down her spine.
The heartbreaking moment when she received the news of Andrew’s passing remains etched in her memory, filled with disbelief as she desperately attempted to reach him multiple times. “It is such a weird day when I look back,” she admitted.
During the podcast, Maura candidly shared her struggles after her sudden rise to fame through *Love Island*, expressing her despair and the isolation she felt following her relocation from Ireland to London. She described the aftermath as a “very scary” phase in her life, marked by overwhelming pressure and a lack of support.
Her rise to prominence brought a whirlwind of challenges as she found herself thrust into the limelight with no one she could trust. “Life after Love Island was a very hard time in my life,” she reflected, articulating how she felt abandoned in a foreign city. “I had nowhere to live. I had no friends, no family, nobody I could trust.” The pressure of maintaining a public persona while feeling alone intensified her struggle.
Describing her frantic pace of life, she revealed, “I was chased by the paps everywhere I went. I had no clothes. I had a suitcase with just Love Island bikinis that were probably crusty.” Juggling numerous commitments while living in a hotel exacerbated her sense of isolation and mental distress, leading to feelings of despair.
Maura tearfully confessed to having endured a breakdown amidst the chaos, admitting, “I had dark thoughts, very dark thoughts. And it got to a stage where I don’t even think I told my mam.” Feeling mentally exhausted, she expressed, “Moving country while being thrown into the public eye is terrifying.” Ultimately, Maura has emerged stronger, now thriving as the social media ambassador for *Love Island USA* and continuing to excel in her career.
