Maura Higgins used to date boxing legend Barry McGuigan’s son (Image: Getty)
Maura Higgins is at the centre of a storm after being caught on camera sharing a smooch with McFly’s Danny Jones at a afterparty. The former star and last year’s contestant was spotted getting close to her fellow jungle campmate for hours before seemingly .
The alleged kiss has sparked controversy as 38-year-old Jones is married. Meanwhile, Higgins is thought to be single. She has a history of high-profile romantic links, including with the likes of Joey Essex and stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton. The 34-year-old Irish native also had a past romance with Shane McGuigan, the son of Irish legend , who also shared the camp with her last year.
They first met in 2018 during the vs Tony Bellew rematch, where Maura was a ring girl and Shane was providing radio commentary.
Their “instant chemistry” led to a year-long relationship that eventually ended due to the challenges of long-distance, with Maura based in Ireland and McGuigan in London. A source told : “She was travelling a lot for work so it wasn’t easy to pull off.
“There were no hard feelings when it ended. It turned out to be short lived and the spark fizzled out.”
Barry McGuigan with his family, including son Shane (Image: Getty)
Ahead of her stint in the jungle, Maura expressed her excitement about meeting Shane’s father Barry, who she never encountered during their relationship. “I reckon I’d get on really well with Barry McGuigan,” she said. “You know, Irish, I think, very humorous.”
Shane is currently engaged to singer Taylor West, and they have two sons. Maura, meanwhile, has been in relationships with Love Island co-stars Curtis Pritchard and Chris Taylor and was linked to Strictly’s Giovanni Pernice.
McGuigan Sr, a boxing legend in Ireland, boasts an impressive record of 32 wins from 35 fights, 28 by knockout. He also claimed the Sports Personality of the Year in 1985 after winning the WBA world featherweight title, and competed for Ireland at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.