Maura Higgins has revealed her ex-boyfriend blamed her when she told him she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver in the back of his cab after a night out.
The Love Island star, 33, was attacked ‘many years’ ago after falling asleep during a taxi journey home to Ireland.
When she woke up, she found the driver with his “hand right up her skirt.”
Bravely opening up to Paul Carrick Brunson on his We need to talk about podcastshe revealed that when she told her ex about the traumatic event, he blamed her.
She said her ex-boyfriend, who she left unnamed, told her she shouldn’t have drank so much on her night out with her friends.
Maura Higgins revealed to Paul Carrick Brunson on his We Need To Talk Podcast that her ex blamed her when she told him she had been sexually assaulted by a taxi driver in the back of his cab
The Love Island star, 33, was sexually assaulted ‘many years’ ago after falling asleep during a taxi journey home to Ireland. When she woke up, she found the driver with his ‘hand right up her skirt’
Maura became tearful and said: ‘We got in a taxi when we got home from a night out and my friends were dropped off before me.
‘I fell asleep and woke up and his hand was up my skirt.
‘My then partner blamed me for that.’
‘He said you shouldn’t have drank so much. He basically told me it was my fault.”
Maura first opened up about the traumatic event during a live Instagram Q&A in 2022.
She was asked ‘worst experience with a man’ by a fan, to which she answered bravely and honestly.
Maura, who admitted she had also had a worse experience that she was not ready to talk about, explained how the attack happened when she fell asleep in the back of the taxi.
When asked the question, Maura explained that she had unfortunately had “a few” bad experiences with men before going through one particular ordeal.
She told dating expert Paul Carrick Brunson (pictured) about the traumatic event
She said her ex-boyfriend, who remained unnamed, told her she shouldn’t have drank so much on her night out with her friends.
She said: ‘The worst one I’ve never talked about, and I don’t even think I’m ready for it yet.
“It was probably one of the scariest things that ever happened to me.”
She then said, ‘I had an incident with a taxi driver once, a long time ago in Ireland.
‘And crazy, I fell asleep. My friends were dropped off before me and I was only dropped off because I was living alone at the time.
Maura added, “And I woke up and his hand was right up my skirt.
“Honestly, I sobered up so quickly. I memorized his taxi number so quickly and still remembered it the next day.”
Maura did not provide further details about whether she reported the incident or what happened to the man after the attack.
Maura shot to fame on ITVBe show Love Island in 2019, where she finished in fourth place alongside her ex-boyfriend, dancer Curtis Pritchard, 28.
The couple split about six months after leaving the Mallorcan villa, sparking romance in early 2020.
She then surprised fans when she started dating Love Island co-star Chris Taylor, 33, then a former best friend, in November 2020.
But the romance wouldn’t last long and the pair called it quits just a few months after going public.
Maura first opened up about the traumatic event during a live Instagram Q&A in 2022
The Irish beauty then enjoyed a whirlwind romance with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, 33, in the summer of 2021, but split a few months later.
The reality star’s candid chat comes after she and footballer Connor sparked dating speculation again last month when they shared photos from the same barbecue.
The rumored couple, who also reportedly made things official and flew to Paris together for a break, didn’t work out when Maura confirmed her single status.
If you have been affected by this story, please contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 or contact the service via their online chat function.