Maura Higgins reveals her childhood of ‘knuckles, lines and screaming’ & says it’s the real reason she’s always so loud
MAURA Higgins has opened up about her childhood and years at school, blaming it for making her so “loud” and leaving her in tears.
The 34-year-old has become a TV favourite thanks to her appearances on shows such as Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
In fact, it looks quite likely that Maura will be in the final for the ITV reality show, as she’s got an 11.8% chance of emerging victorious, according to MyBettingSites.
And in a recent podcast interview, Maura spoke about her upbringing, as she admitted she used to cry her “eyes out” when she got home after school, because she knew she had to go back the next day.
Speaking to Married at First Sight’s Paul Brunson on his We Need to Talk podcast, Maura explained that the strict rules about when she could speak contributed to the volume she talks at now.
“We weren’t allowed to speak at a normal tone,” she said.
“That might be the reason why I’m very loud.
“We had to scream, and he would walk straight by you, and he would go, ‘I can’t hear you’.”
Pointing out the way Paul was sitting – with one leg over the other – would have been strictly forbidden at her school when she was growing up in Ballymahon in Ireland.
“Your feet had to be fully flat,” Maura said.
“Your back had to be completely straight. Your table has to be so far away.
“And your book, whatever you’re writing on, cannot be any way crooked.
“You had to be center straight, and you had to write like this.”
Demonstrating herself slouching, Maura added: “God forbid you get comfortable and you do this, you’re getting knuckled into the back.
“He would knuckle into the back, and he would just say, ‘Sit up straight’.”
When it came to homework, he gave them an “abnormally large” amount, so much so that they “couldn’t do anything else”.
“If you even hesitate on one word, he’d just go, ‘Sit down’.
“And then it’d be 100 lines, so you have to write out 100 times – I shall learn my homework from now on. I shall learn my homework from now on.”
I'm A Celebrity 2024
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”
Maura has also been sharing tidbits about her personal life on I’m a Celebrity, coyly talking about her budding romance with Pete Wicks.
Asked if she was in a relationship, Maura replied: “People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow.
“What’s the point in getting them involved too soon, when you just don’t know where it’s gonna go, you know?”