Maura Higgins hurt by 'homewrecker' label

Maura Higgins was hurt by being labelled as a "homewrecker".

The former \'Love Island\' star has opened up on the backlash she had to deal with when her \'Dancing On Ice\' skating partner Alexander Demetriou split from his wife Carlotta Edwards in April.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "It was frustrating. It wasn\'t nice going into my DMs and being called a \'homewrecker\' and the rest."

The 29-year-old star and skater have both repeatedly insisted they were just friends with nothing more to it.

And now, Maura admitted she tries to ignore the messages from cruel trolls.

She added: "To be honest, I\'m used to it. Not everyone\'s always going to like you, that\'s what my mammy taught me.

"The world would be a strange place if everyone liked each other."

In May - following her own breakup from Curtis Pritchard earlier this year - Maura has admitted she\'d be open to returning to \'Love Island\' to find a spark.

Asked about the prospect of heading into the villa for a second time, she told fans on Instagram: "Well to be honest I need a man. So maybe I\'ll go back in next year, you never know."

Maura also rubbished rumours linking her with her Demetriou, as she pointed out that people can "just be friends" without any romantic undertones.

In response to the speculation, she said: "It doesn\'t bother me. We\'re in 2020 and a man and woman cannot just be friends ..."

Meanwhile, Maura previously announced her split from Curtis via Instagram.

The reality TV star revealed they\'d decided to go their separate ways, after enjoying a "great experience" together in the \'Love Island\' villa.

She wrote at the time: "Curtis and I have made the decision to separate. We enjoyed a great experience from our time in the villa and want to thank everyone for supporting our relationship."

Maura insisted that she and Curtis remain on good terms, wishing him the "best for the future".

She said: "There is no easy way to get through a break-up and no bad feeling on either side. We tried to make it work but it wasn\'t to be and I wish Curtis nothing but the best for the future."