Maura Higgins arrived at Dancing With The Stars rehearsals on Thursday after reports emerged that her co-stars believe the show has been "fixed" for her to win.
The 35-year-old Love Island star built her US profile hosting Love Island US: Aftersun and finishing as runner-up on The Traitors US. She has now been paired with Mark Ballas, the professional dancer and son of Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas, for the new season.
For rehearsals, Higgins wore a white halter neck sports top and black gym leggings, with a black jumper tied around her neck.
Co-stars claim show is 'fixed'
A source told the Daily Mail: "Maura's been rubbing everyone up the wrong way, even before their first spray tans have dried. She was desperate to be partnered with Mark, who's hugely popular, and was dead against Gleb, who's now out of a job. It's as if what Maura says goes."
The source told The Sun: "She's even made sure to get close to judge Bruno Tonioli and wasted no time posing arm-in-arm with him after a night out. It's not gone unnoticed within the cast that she's being favoured. It's as if she's being set up to win." The Daily Mail has contacted Higgins's representatives for comment.
Prize money on offer
Higgins will earn £93,000 even if she is eliminated in the first two weeks, a sum that rises by £7,000 a week for weeks three and four. Contestants who reach week five earn a further £11,000, and week six brings an additional £20,000, while weeks eight and nine are worth an extra £22,000 each.
Higgins and Tonioli linked arms on a night out on Tuesday. She and Ballas already knew each other before the pairing, having both appeared on the US version of The Traitors earlier this year.
Gleb Savchenko hits back
The pairing followed Higgins speaking out about a dancer she did not want to be partnered with. She said she did not want to be paired with Russian professional dancer Gleb Savchenko because she disagreed with the "way he talks about women," adding that she intended to stay loyal to her close friend and former DWTS contestant Brooks Nader, who previously dated Savchenko.
Savchenko responded in a statement to the Daily Mail, saying: "Until I was asked to comment on this story, I'd genuinely never heard of this girl, Maura, so I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over the opinions of someone I've never met. It's odd to publicly attack someone you've never even met, but if that's how she wants to make headlines before the show starts, that's her choice. I'll stay focused and leave the unnecessary drama to everyone else."
Savchenko and Nader had a "messy" split after starting a relationship while partnered together on the show in 2024. Speaking to E! News, Higgins said: "I'd be happy with anyone but Gleb. That's only because I'm loyal and I'm friends with Brooks [Nader]." She added: "I don't really like the way he speaks about women. I don't really want to spend all my time with someone like that. I'm like, no thank you."
Ballas has since shared a lighthearted video from training showing Higgins taking a tumble, joking, "So how's it going with Maura?"
Blind Date reboot role
Higgins's US career has continued to grow after she was confirmed as host of the upcoming Blind Date reboot, stepping into the role once held by the late Cilla Black ahead of the show's return next year.
After appearing on ITV's Love Island in 2019, Higgins went on to host Love Island US: Aftersun and star on The Traitors US. She is set to continue on Dancing With The Stars before filming the Blind Date reboot at a secret location later this year.
Angela Jain, head of content at Disney+ EMEA, said in a statement: "Maura is the perfect match for our version of Blind Date. Her distinctive straight-talking humour, coupled with her experience as a reality dating show contestant, means we know she has the gravitas plus the wit to bring Blind Date to new audiences. We're very much looking forward to Maura helping our daters navigate their own journeys to find love as she steps into the famed Blind Date host role."
