Maura Higgins Had An Incredible Year – But She Says She Used To Struggle Keeping A Roof Over Her Head

To say Maura Higgins has had quite a year would be an understatement. Since strutting into the Love Island villa last summer - and making us all howl with laughter over her catchphrase ‘fanny flutters’ - she has taken the nation by storm. She has been signed for Dancing On Ice and fronted campaigns for Boohoo and Ann Summers (as well as being photographed and interviewed for the Grazia cover). But, while reflecting on her incredible year, the Irish reality star candidly revealed that things haven’t always been so rosy - and served us all a reminder that Instagram isn’t always a true reflection on reality.

Sharing a collection of photos on the social media site – including her Love Island promo shot, her Grazia photo shoot, and Ann Summers shoot – she wrote, ‘(Bit late) Wishing everyone a very happy & healthy new year! I honestly can’t put into words how incredible my 2019 has been, to think this time last year I was so unhappy and struggling to keep a roof over my head…’

Talking about her time before the villa, when she was working as a model and 'grid girl', she added that people glancing at her socials may have thought her life was a lot more glamorous than it seemed. ‘A lot of you would have looked at my social media and thought wow “She has an incredible life” to all of the young girls reading this, please remember Instagram is NOT real life! We can all filter, photoshop, edit etc (guilty) but we never know what is actually going on in a person’s life, so for 2020 please remember to be kind.’

Reiterating her gratitude to fans, she concluded, ‘I am so incredibly grateful for all of the support I have been given in the last few months...2020 is going to be even bigger. I love you all.’ And we believe her. We can’t wait to see what Maura has in store for us during 2020.

READ MORE: Maura The Explorer: Maura Higgins’ Upcoming Reality Show Reportedly Had To Change Its Name After Legal Row