Fans were left shocked last week when a video appeared to show happily married McFly star Danny Jones sharing a drunken kiss with newly-single Maura Higgins.
Now, a source tells Closer that Maura has been left mortified by the ‘stupid’ moment which sparked a cheat scandal – with the peck apparently only intended to gain the attention of her ex, Pete Wicks.
The video, taken at Universal Music’s Brits after-party, appears to show guitarist Danny, 38 – who is married to former Miss England Georgia Horsley, 38 – sharing a brief peck with his I’m A Celeb campmate Maura, 34. As the video went viral, fans flooded the former Love Island star’s social media. ‘I thought you were better than that,’ wrote one, as another agreed, ‘What happened to girls supporting girls?’
And our insider reveals that Maura is feeling devastated. They share, ‘Maura has hit rock bottom, as she blames herself for truly messing everything up. She’s told pals she deeply regrets that moment, and it was stupid – but there is truly nothing whatsoever going on between her and Danny. She’s gutted that she’s now being spoken of as a marriage wrecker. Maura knows Danny loves his wife, and to think anything else is absurd.’
In November, Georgia admitted on a podcast appearance that when she first met her rocker husband she thought he was ‘a bit of a d*ck.’ Revealing that she turned him down to begin with, the model laughed, ‘I said he’s probably going to be a bit of a top shagger, isn’t he? I just assumed. I treated him mean, kept him keen – without realising.’ The couple went on to tie the knot in 2014, before welcoming their son Cooper, seven, in 2018.
After the Brits video emerged online last week, Georgia pulled out of a scheduled appearance alongside her Mum’s The Word podcast co-host Kelsey Parker. Shortly after, insiders shared that the couple were holding ‘crisis talks,’ insisting they’re ‘focused on being a family unit.’
Maura’s kiss with Danny comes following her split from Strictly star Pete, 37, last month. The pair were first linked in October, when spotted sharing a kiss at the Pride of Britain Awards after-party.
When asked about her rumoured beau during an interview following I’m A Celeb, Maura blushed, ‘I’m so proud of him, he’s proud of me, and I can’t wait to see him when I get back.’
However, their love story didn’t last long. The couple reportedly called it quits on Valentine’s Day – with Maura responding that the TOWIE heartthrob was ‘probably out cheating’ when asked by photographers about his whereabouts.
Our source adds that Maura’s kiss with the McFly musician was a stunt to catch Pete’s attention. They reveal, ‘Friends close to Maura are saying that Danny got caught in a misfire and is collateral damage. She only wanted to make Pete sit up and notice her – but it’s totally backfired. Maura has confided that it was a moment of weakness and that Danny only intended to make her feel supported. She’s devastated and feels like a total idiot, as there’s nothing in it with her and Danny. They’re just good friends, and she would never disrespect that – or his wife, Georgia. But stupidly, she’s just done that.’
In an attempt to set things right, the source says Maura hopes to speak with Georgia. ‘Maura says it’s all been taken out of context,’ the source says. ‘She wants to meet Georgia to try to put this right. She doesn’t want to ruin the trust between a husband and wife, and she really hopes both Danny and Georgia can forgive her.’