Maura Higgins has revealed her ex-boyfriend blamed her when he told her a taxi driver sexually assaulted her in the back of his taxi after a night out.
The Love Island star, 33, was attacked “many years ago” after falling asleep in a taxi taking her home to Ireland.
When she woke up, she found the driver with his “hand up her skirt.”
Bravely opening up to Paul Carrick Brunson on his We Need to Talk Podcast, she revealed that when she told her ex about the traumatic event, he blamed her.
She said her ex-boyfriend, whom she did not identify, told her she shouldn't have drunk so much on her night out with his friends.
Maura Higgins revealed to Paul Carrick Brunson on his We Want To Discuss podcast that her ex blamed her when she told him she was 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 in a taxi taking her home to Ireland. When she woke up, she found the driver with his hand 'up to her skirt'.
Maura, becoming increasingly tearful, said: “We got into a taxi, coming home after a night out and they dropped my friends off before me.”
'I fell asleep and woke up and his hand was under my skirt.
“My partner at the time blamed me for that.”
“He said you shouldn't have drunk so much.” He basically told me it was my fault.
Maura first spoke about the traumatic event during a live Q&A session on Instagram in 2022.
A fan asked her: 'worst experience with a man' to which she responded bravely and honestly.
Maura, who admitted she had also had a worse experience which she was not yet ready to talk about, detailed 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 “some” bad experiences with men, before going on to talk about one experience in detail.
She opened up to dating expert Paul Carrick Brunson (pictured) about the traumatic event.
She said her ex-boyfriend, who was not identified, told her she shouldn't have drunk so much on her night out with his friends.
She said, 'The worst one I've never told any of you about, and I don't even think I'm ready yet.'
“It was probably one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me.”
He then went on to say: 'I had an incident with a taxi driver before, a long time ago in Ireland.
And, silly me, I fell asleep. They left my friends before me and they left me alone because I was living alone at the time.
Maura added: 'And I woke up and his hand was right under my skirt.
'Honestly, I sobered up very quickly. I memorized his taxi number very quickly and still remembered it the next day.
Maura did not offer any further details about whether she reported the incident or what happened to the man after the attack.
Maura rose to fame on ITVBe's Love Island in 2019, where she finished fourth alongside her ex-boyfriend, dancer Curtis Pritchard, 28.
The couple separated about six months after leaving the Mallorcan villa and ended the romance in early 2020.
She then surprised fans when she entered into a relationship with her Love Island co-star Chris Taylor, 33, a former best friend at the time, in November 2020.
But the romance was not to last and the couple broke up just a few months after going public.
Maura first spoke about the traumatic event during a live Q&A session on Instagram in 2022.
The Irish beauty then enjoyed a whirlwind romance with Strictly Come Dancing professional Giovanni Pernice, 33, in the summer of 2021, but they split a few months later.
The reality star's candid chat comes after she and footballer Connor sparked dating speculation merienda again last month when they shared snaps from the same barbecue.
The rumored couple, who also supposedly made things official and jetted off to Paris together during a break, didn't work out when Maura confirmed her single status.
If you have been affected by this story, you can contact Pescadora Disaster on 0808 802 9999 or contact the service via their online chat function.