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Sharon Higgins, mother of I’m a Celebrity star Maura Higgins, has hit out at ITV for stitching her up by preventing her parents from voting.
The former Love Island star joined the show as a late arrival, along with fan favourite Reverend Richard Coles. Maura hails from the Republic of Island, which is prevented from voting on many mainstream British shows.
”It’s unfortunate,” she told Lorraine on Tuesday (3 December). “It was the same when she was in Love Island, the Irish couldn’t vote.”
Sharon, speaking from County Longford, said that she felt that the setup could mean that much of the star’s core fanbase would be excluded from supporting her in the competition.
“And I know there are so many people who have DM’d me asking ‘How can we vote?’ but we can’t,” she said.
“It’s not open to the Republic of Ireland unfortunately and you know it puts her on the back foot that way because she has a lot of support here.”
Maura has gained much attention for her alleged romantic links to another reality star, Towie’s Pete Wicks, who is currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing.
Sharon gave her thoughts on the rumours as she said, “I can only say what she has told me, she did tell me that they were great friends and that she’s single and she’s dating.”
She added, “So I don’t know much after that like, she didn’t really expand on that. So I don’t know what’s happening.
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“Maura and Pete were always friends but like the way Maura is, she at the moment – she was concentrating on herself.”
However, while chatting with fellow campmates during a recent episode of the celebrity survival series, she admitted she was seeing someone before she entered the jungle, and was missing him.
When asked by campmate Oti Mabuse whether or not she was single, Higgins replied: “I am but I was seeing someone before I came in but I’m not in a relationship.”
When her campmate Coles quizzed her about the exclusivity of the relationship, Higgins said, “I dunno”.
It comes weeks after speculation over whether Higgins is dating current Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, who rose to fame on The Only Way is Essex. The pair have been pictured together at several events as rumours have mounted over a budding relationship.
Higgins gave another clue about who her mystery man might be when she admitted he was someone the public might recognise.
