Maura Higgins reveals she stopped speaking to her dad after 'horrendous' phone call in rare family insight
TV star Maura Higgins has opened up about the emotional reason she stopped talking to her father. The former Love Island star, 33, has revealed she stopped talking to her dad, Seamus, after one "horrendous" phone call with him in particular.
Maura sat down with Married At First Sight expert Paul C Brunson on his podcast, We Need To Talk, to get candid about her life, love and relationships - including the one with her estranged father. Speaking honestly in the rare personal interview, Maura said that her father “wasn’t really around” when she was young, as he was out working, but that when her parents divorced, “things got worse”.
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Baring all to Paul, the TV personality and model explained that it wasn’t until after she skyrocketed to fame on Love Island in 2019 that she actually stopped speaking to her dad - and that she hasn’t spoken to him for years now.
Maura revealed: “It's kind of weird. We haven't spoken in a few years now. My dad spoke to me not very nice. I'm not saying it was just a bit of an argument. It was horrendous where I physically couldn't breathe after the phone call.”
The Irish star explained: "I thought to myself, 'I wouldn't let a partner talk to me like that. I wouldn't let a friend talk to me like that. I'm not going to let my dad talk to me like that.' But also, I think if I dig deep, I don't think I've ever forgiven my dad for not being there for me when my best friend passed away. And he wasn't there for me."
Maura added: "I know my father [struggled in the divorce from her mum] but he just did things that just was not..." before Paul suggested in the interview, “What a father should do”.
In the incredibly open and honest chat, Maura also revealed that she had “very dark thoughts” after finding fame on Love Island, sharing: “I had a breakdown… I didn't want to be here anymore. I thought that was going to be the best thing.”
More recently, Maura has made headlines with a new rumoured flame, The Only Way Is Essex star Pete Wicks, with Maura even publicly showing her support for Pete as he continues to tread the boards on Strictly Come Dancing.
Paul’s podcast ‘We Need To Talk’ is out weekly on Tuesdays, wherever you get your podcasts, and across socials.