The drama between McFly star Danny Jones, his wife Georgia, and his former I’m A Celebrity! campmate Maura Higgins is raging on after Georgia was rumoured to have moved out of their family home.
Now, following the latest claims that she has returned and is giving Danny a ‘second chance’, insiders tell Closer that Maura, 34, is so embarrassed about the whole situation that she wants a complete overhaul of her life to shake off her man-eater reputation.
A source tells Closer, ‘It’s been a tough few weeks for Maura. She’s mortified and would do anything to erase what happened. She was at complete rock bottom when it all came out.
‘At the same time, she feels like some of the backlash that’s come her way is unjustified. She’s saying that she refuses to be labelled as the villain or the sole reason that Danny’s marriage is in bits. It just isn’t fair for all the blame to be on her.’
The pair first met in November while filming I’m A Celebrity! – during which Danny, 39, was crowned King of the Jungle.
Earlier this month, the musician was caught on video sharing a ‘drunken kiss’ with the 34-year-old Love Island star at a BRITs after-party around 3am. Afterwards, another video was leaked which appeared to show the pair arriving at London’s Nobu Hotel just after 4am, where they were said to have remained partying until around 6am.
Soon after the kiss, the McFly star was spotted on a tense walk with his wife of 10 years, Georgia, 38 – with whom he shares a seven-year-old son, Cooper – after which it was then announced that Georgia had moved out of their London family home.
Danny issued a public apology, writing, ‘Sorry it’s taken me a while to post this, but I’ve taken some time out to be with those closest to me. I want to deeply apologise to my wife and family for putting them in this situation. I love them so much and we’ll continue to deal with this privately.’
Our source says, ‘It was a drunken night, and Maura insists that she can’t even remember the kiss. It wasn’t and won’t ever be a “thing” between them and she’s said she won’t speak to him again.’
This scandal comes after Maura’s romance with TOWIE bad boy turned Strictly Come Dancing star Pete Wicks – which allegedly ended after Maura found Pete had been messaging other women, although neither of them have confirmed the rumours. Maura has previously enjoyed reported flings with stars including Joey Essex, Giovanni Pernice and Kai Widdrington.
Now, Maura – who rose to fame on Love Island in 2019 – is determined to focus on her career and put this whole mess behind her.
Our insider reports, ‘She’s vowed to steer clear of men for the foreseeable – she seems to get embroiled in drama too often. She says she seems to have a built-in radar for players or bad guys. Of course, she wants her happily ever after one day, but for now her career and reputation come first, so she’s put love on the back burner.
‘She was so excited about the positive feedback from I’m A Celebrity! and the career prospects that could come her way, but in recent weeks she has felt like Britain’s most hated woman.
‘She just wants to move on from it all. She won’t speak out about it, despite some advice encouraging her to share her side. She wants it to blow over.’
Recently, the Irish influencer jetted off to America, and a source reveals that she’s been considering a permanent move so she can finally get a fresh start.
‘Her recent trip to the US was great to take her mind off things,’ the source says. ‘She loved being somewhere where she wasn’t as famous, and no one was bothered about the BRITs kiss. It was a great change of scenery, and she came back on a high. She’s even thought about a potential move to the US, insisting the Americans are “less judgy” whereas she feels like she’s been hanged here in the UK without a fair trial.
‘She wants to capitalise on the career opportunities she has now and move on – while avoiding the distraction and drama that comes with men – and rebuild her legacy.’