Maura Higgins reveals her ex blamed HER when she was sexually assaulted by a taxi driver after an evening out

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 assaulted ‘many years’ ago after she fell asleep in a taxi ride home in Ireland.

When she woke, she found the driver with his ‘hand right 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 former boyfriend, who she left unnamed, told her that she should not 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 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 she fell asleep in a taxi ride home in Ireland. When she woke, she found the driver with his ‘hand right up her skirt’

Growing tearful, Maura said: ‘We got in a taxi, coming home from a night out and my friends got dropped off before me. 

‘I fell asleep and I woke up and his hand was up my skirt.

‘My partner at the time blamed me for that.

‘He said you shouldn’t have drank that much. He basically told me it was my fault.’ 

Maura first opened up about the traumatic event during a live Q&A on Instagram in 2022. 

She was asked by a fan for her ‘worst experience with a man’, to which she answered bravely and honestly. 

Maura, who admitted she had also had a worse experience she wasn’t ready to talk about yet, detailed how the attack happened when she fell asleep in the back of the taxi. 

When asked the question, Maura explained that she had sadly had ‘a few’ bad experiences with men, before going on to discuss one particular ordeal.

She opened up to dating expert Paul Carrick Brunson (pictured) about the traumatic event

She said her former boyfriend, who was left unnamed, told her that she should not have drank so much on her night out with her friends

She said: ‘The worst one I’ve never ever, ever opened up to any of you about, and I don’t even think I’m ready yet. 

‘It was like probably one of the scariest things that’s ever happened to me.’

She 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. My friends were dropped off before me and I was being dropped off alone because I lived 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 memorised his taxi number so quick and still remembered it the next day.’

Maura didn’t offer any further details about whether she reported the incident or what happened to the man following the assault. 

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 around six months after leaving the Mallorcan villa, calling time on the romance in early 2020.

She then surprised fans when she entered into a relationship with Love Island co-star Chris Taylor, 33, former best friend at the time, in November 2020.

But the romance wasn’t to last and the couple called it quits just a few months after going public.

Maura first opened up about the traumatic event during a live Q&A 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 split a few months later.

The reality star’s candid chat comes after she and footballer Connor sparked dating speculation once again last month as they shared snaps from the same barbeque.

The rumoured couple, who also reportedly made things official and jetted to Paris together on a break, did not work out as Maura confirmed her single status.

If you have been affected by this story you can contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 on contact the service using their online chat function.