Maura Higgins Says She Feels Like a Winner

The look on Maura Higgins’s face was the stuff memes are made of. In the finale of The Traitors last Thursday, the moment when the winner Rob Rausch said, “I am, and have always been, a Traitor,” Higgins stood stunned, her beautiful features frozen and forlorn in utter disbelief. She could not fathom that the person she had been fiercely loyal to the entire season—the only other Love Islander in a sea of reality stars—had deceived her.

“You absolute asshole,” she said. “You pinky promised,” referring to the moment following the final round table when Rausch agreed to eliminate fellow traitor Eric Nam, and then held Higgins’s head in his hands, looked into her eyes, and said they would win the game together.

Before Higgins was serving fierce latex looks and donning a different funny little hat in Scotland every day, she was a cast member on series five of Love Island UK in 2019 (widely considered the best season of the franchise, because of the love story between Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury). Since then, the Irish-born model has appeared in a number of other reality series and hosted the Aftersun talk show for Love Island US.

Two days after the finale and reunion aired, we caught up with Higgins, who was fresh out of a much-needed hot bath and just back home in London from Milan Fashion Week. Below, she shares how she feels about the idea that she was “manipulated” or “dickmatized,” how her trust issues with men are faring now, and whether she’s really getting that apology Birkin from Rob.

So, I heard you were asked to be part of The Traitors cast last season, but you turned it down.

Yes, I did. To be honest, I never really had any interest in doing a game show, ever. And Traitors was never a show that I watched. I know it’s huge and a lot of my friends are obsessed with it, but I watch more killers and true crime. So yeah, I never watched it and I was a bit like, “Oh no, I don’t think that’s a bit of me.” And then it came around again this year and I was like, “Oh, you know what? I’ll give it a go. What’s the worst that can happen?” [Laughing]

Well, I’m glad you did. It was nice to finally see some Love Island representation on Traitors.

Yeah. And what are the chances me and Rob stood there at the end? Honestly, I can’t even go on my social media. That video of my face is everywhere.

Maybe it’s a good time to take a break.

The crazy thing about it is, I always have something to say. And in that moment—I don’t think I’ll ever forget it—I was genuinely speechless. I couldn’t speak. It was so crazy. Even my mom, she was like, “You always have something to say.” And I was like, “But I genuinely believed he was a Faithful.”

You kept waiting for him to say, “I’m joking,” like you had.

I genuinely was waiting. I thought, Oh, because I was tricking him, maybe he’s tricking me back. And in my head I was thinking, Okay, the joke has gone on long enough. Just tell me you’re a Faithful. It makes me scream watching it. I’m like, “Oh, Maura!”

But I have to say, you handled it very well.

I’m very proud of myself for the way I handled it. From what I’m seeing online, there’s a lot of mixed reactions, and it definitely is more good than bad. I’ve seen a lot of people calling me dumb, and I’m just like, “Right, guys, this is a TV show, it’s a game.” I’ve never done anything like this in my life. People are saying, “You should be so embarrassed, blah, blah.” For me, I’d be more embarrassed if I took a game that seriously. What am I going to do? Sit at home and go, “I’m so bad at a game show”—really? This is not real life.

The other part of it is, the audience sees everything. They know who the Traitors are, so it’s very easy for them to say, “He’s such an obvious Traitor.” But how is he an obvious Traitor? Because there was a whole group of adults in that castle and he had the trust of everyone, apart from the other Traitors.

I’ve also seen some comments calling me a “pick me” girl. Like, “Oh, she should have went with the girls. You should never trust a man.” And I’m like, okay, but if backing someone that I believed was a Faithful is the wrong thing to do, I think we’ve completely misunderstood the show. Because isn’t it about trust and loyalty?

Higgins at the Moschino show in Milan.

Anyone who watched me on Love Island knows I don’t take shit from a man. I really don’t. I’ve never been dumped by a man in my life. I’ve dumped all my ex-boyfriends because I don’t take shit. But this is a game. This is a different type of show. If we were on Love Island, if the guy I was coupled up with treated me badly, there’d be a whole different side of Maura, but I know it’s a game.

If this was not a game, I probably would’ve taken it very, very differently. But in my genuine opinion, Rob played a fantastic game and he deserves the credit for that.

And you know what? It’s fine. People are going to talk online, so I’m okay with that. I’m sleeping very good at night. And knowing that I’m getting a free Birkin, I’ll sleep even better.

Has Rob gotten you your Birkin yet?

I’ve not seen him yet, but we have been speaking about it. He’s been asking me about color and size and everything. So he seems to be serious, but I’m afraid to even say that I’m trusting him again because people will probably say I’m dumb for that, but whatever.

Honestly, winning best-dressed of the castle, being runner-up on a show that I have never watched, and I’m getting a free Birkin, for me, that’s a win. I don’t need anything else. I genuinely don’t. That is a win.

Absolutely. The internet can be a terrible place, but I hope you see that you have a lot of supporters too.

Yes, I do. In my DMs, people have been so, so kind to me and I’m so grateful for that. I really, really am. I have a lot of support, and I want everyone to know that I’m absolutely fine. I’m better than fine.

You might’ve been the last one standing there with Rob at the end, but he had the whole castle fooled.

He did. And we’re all grown adults. But it’s like, let’s dish out the blame to Maura and let’s put all the blame on her. Eric was stood there too. Didn’t Eric trust him too? Eric’s face dropped when he realized that Rob wasn’t sticking with him. But no one’s saying anything about that, though. Online it’s always, blame the woman. The woman will always get scrutinized online. We get judged by our weight, our fashion, everything. We’re used to it. And you know what? I was also thinking if the tables were turned, and I was the Traitor and Rob was the Faithful, I don’t think people would be calling the man dumb. I think they would give him sympathy. But the women are always dragged down all the time. That’s just the world we live in. But it’s okay. I’m a big girl. I can take it.

And let’s not forget, he grabbed your face and said, “We are going to win.” What else were you to think?

Yeah, I believed him. And honestly, I’m okay with that. I am so okay with that because that’s who I am. I’m loyal. That’s the way I am. I’m never going to change, and especially not for a game show.

What do you think about the commentary online saying he was manipulating you?

Isn’t that the game though? I get the audience is going to have a lot to say, but isn’t this the game? Don’t we understand that this show is called Traitors, and you are going to be lied to and deceived and manipulated and all these things? That is the game that we’ve signed up to play. So I don’t feel a way about it at all because this is not real life. It’s a game.

And what about those who say you were “dickmatized”?

I’ve seen a lot of that. To be honest, that is crazy to me because again, if people watch me on Love Island, I am a very obvious flirt. [On The Traitors], that is not flirting. That is not Maura flirting, FYI. So go and watch me on Love Island and then come and tell me I’m dickmatized.

Let’s give you some credit too. I mean, okay, Rob’s hot, but hello, have you seen yourself? You’re a prize too.

Right. Is he pussymatized then? No, of course he’s not. People don’t say that about him. I got it all. Again, put it on the woman.

Exactly. It was clearly mutual.

Even at the reunion, he sat there and was like, “We were flirting.” And I was like, “Were we?”

Higgins at the 2026 BAFTA film awards.

You did say in the finale that you’ve been cheated on and have a hard time trusting men. Does this experience make your trust issues worse?

My trust issues with men are terrible. Every single relationship I get into, I’m always like, “Hmm, what’s he up to? Is he cheating?” And that’s the reason why I am celibate right now. I’ve been celibate for over a year. I’m taking a long break from all of that. I’m focusing on myself. And then when I do meet the right man, I’m just going to start fresh.

What do you feel like you’ve learned about yourself in the last year of being celibate?

That I don’t need a man. I definitely don’t need a man. And weirdly, now I’m also like, Oh, I don’t think I want a man in my personal space right now. I’m so focused on myself. I don’t have the time to give my energy to a man right now. I’m so happy right now. I genuinely am. To be honest, I’m not even thinking about men.

From videos that cast members like Mark Ballas and Kristen Kish posted, it’s clear there’s so much that viewers do not see; so much is edited out. So, from your story, what didn’t make it into the show?

Oh my God, there’s so much. For me, the biggest part that I have spoken to my friends and my mom about is that they cut away a lot of the fun. We had so much fun in there. I get it because the show is called Traitors and they want to keep it to gameplay, but we had so much fun. Me and Mark were dancing all the time. Even my whole friendship with Mark, none of it was aired. I still am so close with Mark.

And my relationship with Lisa [Rinna], we honestly just laughed all the time. I’m now calling Lisa my American mom. I honestly love that woman so much. She makes me laugh so much. She kind of reminds me of me because she’s so obnoxious and she just doesn’t give a shit. And I just love that energy from her.

So yeah, there was so much cut out. I feel like that’s a shame because for me, that’s where my personality really, really shines. Because I’m really not a serious person; I don’t take myself serious at all. I just love having a laugh.

We have to talk about the fashion. I loved your finale look. I have to know, did you save the best look for the finale, even though you didn’t know if you’d get there?

I did travel to Scotland with a lot of planned looks. And because I had never watched a show, I was very much like, “Oh my God, I’m going to wear the best ones first.” The green latex that I started off with, I was obsessed with that outfit. But then as the days were going on, I was still in there and I was quite shocked at that. I remember I spoke to one of the producers and I was like, “Would you be able to speak to my manager and have her contact my stylist because I’m going to need more outfits? I’ve worn all my best ones and obviously I’m still here.” So they actually had to send up another case full of looks. So I ended up coming back from Scotland with a lot more cases. It was crazy. I had different shoes for every outfit and different boots. And did you see the amount of hats I had in there?

Oh, I did.

Actually, the reason I said yes to going on the show was because they kept talking to me like, “Oh, people take the fashion really seriously.” So then I was like, “I’ll do it. I’ll do it.” If they had told me that last year, I would’ve done it then. [Laughing] But they didn’t.

And it’s so fun. It’s not fun when you’ve only got three hours sleep and you’re getting up doing your own glam and hair and everything. But the fashion side of it, I absolutely loved it.

Higgins at The Traitors reunion.

The latex, the wigs, and the hats seemed to be your signature look.

Yeah. Weirdly, now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know why I did [that], because it was so cold in Scotland and latex has no warmth in it whatsoever. But look, I would freeze for a look, genuinely. If it looks good, I’m like, “Beauty is pain. Let’s just rock it.”

The wigs were actually a very last-minute decision. I was like, “How am I going to style my hair every day?” because obviously we’ve got missions and the weather isn’t great in Scotland.

And you have to do your glam twice a day, right? For breakfast, and again after the mission.

Yes. And after the mission, you don’t have a lot of time. So that’s where my biggest concern was. Because I’ve got very curly, frizzy hair. Obviously, if I was out doing a mission and we’re in a boat and there’s water involved, I would’ve been crazy. The frizz would have been just out of hand. And then I just thought, Oh my God, because I’ve got so many hats with my looks, why don’t I just do wigs because then I don’t have to worry about the hair? And it was the best decision I made, honestly. It saved me a lot of time.

Do you have a favorite look from the season?

Oh, I do. There’s a few, but I think [I have] two favorites: the green Latex and the leopard print. They were cute.

It was pretty incredible to have two Love Islanders at the end. I was trying to figure out if there was something to that, if being on a dating show makes you good at this game somehow?

I guess we’re good at getting to know people. If you’re not good at getting to know people, then you’re not going to do well in a show like Traitors. You have to be comfortable with walking into any room in that castle, no matter who is in groups talking, and just sitting down and going, “Who are you talking about?” And just have no care in the world. That’s very much like me. I don’t get awkward around people. I make friends very easily, and literally I had the trust of the whole castle, so it obviously worked. I think I might’ve got one vote the entire time, and it was from Dorinda [Medley].

And she spelled your name “Morea.”

That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. So funny. I love that woman.

Which show did you like being on more?

Ooh, Traitors. Because Love Island is very long. It’s a long time in the villa. You miss your family and friends. I didn’t miss having my phone at all though. I think it’s nice to have a break from it. It’s very healthy. Oh, I’ll give you a bit of gossip that no one else spoke about, actually. I won’t say who, but on Traitors, someone had their phone the whole time. In their room. I don’t want to get them in trouble, but yes, someone did have a phone. And I remember thinking straight away. Oh, why didn’t I do that? I should have.

Who are you still close with now?

Oh my God, literally everyone. I talk to a lot of them nearly every day. Lisa, Rob, Eric, Mark, Dorinda, Tara, Johnny. No joke. I got so lucky in there—really, really lucky. I get on with absolutely everyone. We’re always just chit-chatting. It’s a lot of fun. I think the best part of the Traitors for me is just meeting all my new friends.

What’s next for you? I hear you could be moving to the U.S.?

Potentially. Which is very fitting, because I just bought a house in London. A few months ago, I bought a beautiful five-bedroom house in London that I’m very, very proud of. And now everyone’s like, “You need to move to Los Angeles.” And I’m like, “What am I doing with my life?” But there is so much happening right now.

I’ve been doing a lot in the fashion world, which is so, so exciting. I could scream. There are really exciting conversations with some of my favorite designers happening. I wish that I could tell you about them. Some stuff that I genuinely could only have dreamt of. Stuff that’s on my vision board that I never, ever would’ve thought would come to life. So that’s really, really exciting.

I also just shot a music video for Eric Nam. I was dressed as a cowgirl, which is the best for me. When I’m a cowgirl, I don’t know what it is. Is it because I come from the countryside in the middle of Ireland surrounded by nature and horses? That’s just where I feel my happiest. It was really, really fun. The video comes out soon. And honestly, you are not ready for the video. It is so good. The song is amazing. He is so talented. Eric, with his magic ears.

There’s a lot of conversations with some massive producers and execs in the scripted world as well. Those conversations are interesting, but very, very exciting. And I love to try new things.

I just started working with Victoria’s Secret too, which is another dream of mine. I had them on my vision board. So yeah, I’m honestly just in a little bubble right now.

You were just in Milan for Fashion Week.

Yes. I literally only just got back. I had the best time. I went to the Roberto Cavalli show, Moschino, Blumarine. I just loved it. It was my first Milan Fashion Week and I had the most amazing time. I also went to New York Fashion Week. I went to the LaQuan Smith show. It’s just all very, very exciting. I feel very, very lucky. Even though people think I’m dumb.

Well, they shouldn’t. You’re not dumb. But I wonder if part of what you’re seeing online is because you called yourself “dumb” during the finale and reunion.

Well, do you know what it is? And I’m sure people will go, “Fair.” I was so utterly shocked that I did feel dumb in that moment, and I did feel embarrassed in that moment. But when you watch it, look how quickly I literally was like, “Fair play. You killed the game. You fooled us all.” I never shed a tear. Afterward, I was like, “You know what? I’m proud of myself for getting as far as I did. I’m proud of myself for winning best-dressed, and I’ll be very proud when I get my free Birkin.” Isn’t that the best apology ever? To me, I have won the show, so I’m absolutely fine.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.