Maura Higgins came close to taking the crown on The Traitors season four — and she’s no stranger to what it feels like to be double-crossed.
Higgins first became a household name on ITV’s Love Island season five, where she reached the final and became widely known for her memorable ‘fanny flutters’ line.
Since then, her profile has only continued to grow. She’s taken on TV roles including Dancing on Ice, stepped into presenting, and most recently joined the cast of The Traitors for its fourth season.
With deception baked into the format — especially when she discovered finalist Rob Rausch had been a traitor all along — the experience didn’t exactly come as a shock. Higgins has said she’s naturally guarded, particularly in her relationships with men.
In an interview with Elite Daily, Higgins explained if she ‘wasn’t used to that kind of guy’ then would’ve probably left The Traitors ‘crying, storming out’ and ‘never speaking to him again’.
But things didn’t go that way.
Higgins said she’s ‘already got severe trust issues’ — something she links to her dating history, explaining she’s been ‘cheated on by the majority of [her] exes’.
“That’s the reason I’ve been celibate for a whole year,” she added.
Celibacy means choosing to abstain from sex. For some, it’s tied to religion, while others make the choice as a personal reset after difficult relationships — a way to protect their peace and focus on themselves.
During her run on The Traitors, Higgins did appear to bond closely with Rausch, and viewers quickly picked up on the dynamic between them.
In the end, though, Rob’s betrayal was strictly part of the game — he was a traitor on the show, not off it.
Despite fans speculating there could be more to it, Higgins has made it clear their connection didn’t turn romantic. Instead, she says they built a strong friendship that’s continued beyond filming, helped by the fact his deceit was tied to gameplay rather than real life.
Higgins explained: “He helped me so much throughout the show, in the missions and everything. But it was always just friendship.
“Even though in the castle, a lot of the cast were saying, ‘Oh, you guys should get together.’ It was never anything like that.”
And their friendship hasn’t stopped at the castle gates either. Rausch followed through on a promise to get Higgins a gift after ultimately beating her to the win.
Higgins told him she’s ‘accept nothing less than a Birkin bag’ and Rausch certainly delivered, brandishing a Hermès Togo Birkin 30 in front of Higgins when the pair appeared on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live.
Higgins swiftly resolved: “You’re forgiven.”