Maura Higgins has opened up about the reason behind her split from Curtis Pritchard.
The couple, who met in the Love Island villa last summer, announced earlier this month that they had gone their separate ways.
And in an interview with The Sun, Maura cited their busy schedules as part of the reason behind their break-up – and addressed claims that they had maintained a ‘showmance’.
“If I’m not happy I’m just not going to be with that person, and I can’t fake anything because my face will tell it straight away. What are you going to gain? Plus, I’m my own brand. I don’t need anyone, there’s no point denying it! I just felt like I’m 29 and I want somebody that I can see a future with. I’m not getting any younger,” she said.
“[Curtis] is 24 – maybe he did want that, maybe he didn’t, I don’t know, but I just felt it wasn’t going in that direction. The time apart as well… I want somebody I can be with most days.”
She recalled how things had been difficult after they left the villa last summer, as she and Curtis “barely saw each other.”
“At the beginning it was very, very hard because I was so besotted with him, and we never got to see each other. When we did, it was really nice because you got the time to miss somebody. But sometimes it would be two weeks. You know when you’re in a relationship and you know someone’s day to day? We were that busy that we didn’t, and it was strange,” she continued.
“When I started on Dancing On Ice, we were doing really well. He was coming to some of the shows and stuff, but we were still very, very busy and it just took a toll on the relationship in the end.”