Maura Higgins appeared ready to throw herself into training as she arrived for Dancing With The Stars rehearsals on Thursday.
The Love Island favourite, 35, has been building on her growing profile in the US after winning over viewers during her stint on The Traitors US earlier this year. For her latest television challenge, she has been paired with professional dancer Mark Ballas, the son of Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas.
But Maura’s Dancing With The Stars journey has already sparked behind-the-scenes chatter before the competition has even properly begun.
Following the announcement that she would be dancing with Mark, Maura was later pictured enjoying a night out with judge Bruno Tonioli — a development that has reportedly gone down badly with some of her fellow contestants.
A source claimed: ‘Maura’s been rubbing everyone up the wrong way, even before their first spray tans have dried.
‘She was desperate to be partnered with Mark, who’s hugely popular, and was dead against Gleb, who’s now out of a job. It’s as if what Maura says goes.’
Maura Higgins was seen arriving at Dancing With The Stars rehearsals amid claims from co-stars that the show is ‘fixed for her to win’ after she was partnered with pal Mark Ballas and spotted out with judge Bruno Tonioli
The television star wore a white halterneck sports top with black gym leggings and draped a black jumper around her neck as she made her way into rehearsals
The Love Island star, 35, is partnered with none other than Shirley Ballas’ son Mark for the competition – who she met on the US Traitors last year
They told The Sun: ‘She’s even made sure to get close to judge Bruno Tonioli and wasted no time posing arm-in-arm with him after a night out. It’s not gone unnoticed within the cast that she’s being favoured. It’s as if she’s being set up to win.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Maura’s representatives for comment.
Maura appeared to have already grown close to judge Bruno, as they linked arms on a night out together on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile Maura and Mark already know each other after they both appeared on the US Traitors earlier this year and are now set to embark on a new challenge together.
Their pairing comes after Maura was very vocal about a particular professional dancer she did not want to be partnered with.
She sparked controversy after she said she didn’t want to face the Russian professional dancer Gleb Savchenko because she doesn’t agree with the ‘way he talks about women’.
She said she will be remaining fiercely ‘loyal’ to her best pal and former DWTS contestant Brooks Nader who dated Gleb.
Gleb has since responded to Maura explaining he has ‘never heard’ of the star and insisted he will not ‘lose any sleep over the opinion of someone I’ve never met’.
In a statement to Our News Outlet he said: ‘Until I was asked to comment on this story, I’d genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura, so I’m certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I’ve never met.
Yet Maura’s appearance on the show has already ruffled some feathers before the competition has even started
After her pairing with Mark was revealed, the star was later seen on a night out with judge Bruno Tonioli – and her co-stars are allegedly not best pleased
A source revealed: ‘Maura’s been rubbing everyone up the wrong way, even before their first spray tans have dried’
They added: ‘She was desperate to be partnered with Mark, who’s hugely popular, and was dead against Gleb, who’s now out of a job. It’s as if what Maura says goes’
Mark also shared a cheeky video of the pair in training as she took a tumble and he joked: ‘So how’s it going with Maura?’
The star looked in great spirits as she headed out in New York this week
‘It’s odd to publicly attack someone you’ve never even met, but if that’s how she wants to make headlines before the show starts, that’s her choice.
‘I’ll stay focused and leave the unnecessary drama to everyone else.’
Gleb and Brooks endured a ‘messy’ split after they sparked a romance during their time partnered on the show in 2024.
Maura told E! News: ‘I’d be happy with anyone but Gleb. That’s only because I’m loyal and I’m friends with Brooks [Nader].’
She added: ‘I don’t really like the way he speaks about women. I don’t really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I’m like, no thank you.’
Meanwhile Maura’s career in the US has continued to soar after she landed her biggest TV job to date after being confirmed as the host of the hotly anticipated Blind Date reboot.
The star has been hailed the ‘perfect match’ as she prepares to step into the late Cilla Black’s shoes ahead of the iconic dating show’s upcoming return to screens next year.
After attempting to find romance on ITV dating show Love Island in 2019, Maura went on to bag a hosting role on Love Island US: Aftersun and also starred on The Traitors US.
The Irish TV personality is set to continue her US takeover on DWTS, before filming the Blind Date reboot in a secret location later this year.
Angela Jain, head of content at Disney+ EMEA, said in a statement: ‘Maura is the perfect match for our version of Blind Date.
‘Her distinctive straight-talking humour, coupled with her experience as a reality dating show contestant, means we know she has the gravitas plus the wit to bring Blind Date to new audiences.
‘We’re very much looking forward to Maura helping our daters navigate their own journeys to find love as she steps into the famed Blind Date host role.’
