How Maura Higgins Built a Career Beyond Love Island

Reality television can open a door, but staying relevant after the cameras stop rolling is a different challenge. Maura Higgins entered Love Island in 2019 and quickly became one of the show’s most recognizable personalities, finishing fourth alongside Curtis Pritchard. What followed was not simply a string of reality-TV appearances. Her career expanded into presenting, fashion, beauty, acting, international television, and digital media, gradually shifting her identity from reality contestant to a broader entertainment personality.

The interesting part of Maura Higgins‘ journey is how often she has stepped into unfamiliar formats. Rather than relying solely on the audience that discovered her in the villa, she has repeatedly taken roles that required a different skill set, from hosting a beauty competition in Ireland to interviewing contestants for American television and competing in high-pressure reality formats. By 2026, that strategy had taken her from a reality dating show in Britain to major U.S. entertainment franchises.

The Love Island Breakthrough Was Only the Starting Point

When Maura Higgins arrived on Love Island, she already had experience as a model and ring girl and had worked as a hairdresser in Ballymahon, County Longford. Her direct personality and willingness to speak openly made her stand out during the fifth series, but the bigger career question came after the show ended. Could that visibility translate into work outside the villa?

The answer became clear relatively quickly. She appeared on Dancing on Ice, hosted segments of This Morning, presented the National Television Awards red carpet, and appeared on programs including Celebrity Juice. In 2020, she also fronted her own ITV2 program, Maura Higgins: You’re Joking Me!. These opportunities began moving her toward television presenting rather than leaving her defined only by her original reality-show appearance.

Maura Higgins Found a Natural Fit in Presenting

One of the clearest turning points came when Maura Higgins was chosen to host Glow Up Ireland in 2021. The RTÉ series was the Irish version of the international makeup competition, with 10 amateur makeup artists competing through professional and creative challenges. It was significant because it represented her first major presenting job in Ireland, allowing her to return to television in her home country in a completely different capacity.

That experience helped establish presenting as a genuine part of her professional identity. It was not simply an extension of being famous. A host has to carry a format, communicate with contestants, interact with judges, maintain energy between segments, and give viewers a reason to remain engaged. Her later work in American television showed that this skill could travel with her.

From Social Host to American Television

The next stage of Maura Higgins‘ career came through the American Love Island franchise. In 2023, she joined Love Island USA as a social presenter and also worked on Love Island Games. The following year, she moved into the more prominent role of host of Love Island USA: Aftersun. She returned to the franchise in 2025, including work on Love Island Games: Aftersun.

That transition matters because it placed her on the other side of the format that originally made her famous. Instead of being one of the Islanders looking for romance, she became the person helping viewers understand the contestants and the drama surrounding the show. ABC describes her as the first UK Islander to cross into the U.S. franchise in a hosting capacity.

The move also gave Maura Higgins a foothold in the American entertainment market. Her career was no longer dependent on being cast as a contestant. She was now being hired to help deliver television content.

Fashion and Beauty Became a Second Career Lane

Television is only part of the story. Maura Higgins also developed a substantial commercial profile through fashion and beauty partnerships. Her earlier collaborations included PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo and Ann Summers, followed by work with international names including Victoria’s Secret, L’Oréal Paris, M.A.C Cosmetics and Guess. RTÉ reported in 2026 that TRESemmé had also appointed her as its first “Head of Hair.”

This commercial side of her career reflects how reality personalities can turn audience recognition into a broader personal brand. Her appeal is particularly compatible with beauty, fashion and lifestyle campaigns because those areas naturally connect with the visual nature of social media. ABC currently describes her as having a following of more than six million across platforms, while her representation has reported 78 million Instagram views during the first two weeks of 2026 alone.

Acting and the Next Chapter

There has even been room for Maura Higgins to explore acting. She appears in The Spin, a music-themed Irish comedy about two friends attempting to save their record shop. The film marks her acting debut and places her alongside performers including Tara Lynne O’Neill, Owen Colgan, Brenock O’Connor and Kimberly Wyatt.

Her trajectory also points toward a future increasingly centered on hosting. In September 2026, Peacock announced that Maura Higgins and Rob Rausch would co-host Get Me Out of Here!, an upcoming competition series scheduled for 2027. The format pairs celebrities with non-famous friends or family members in physical and psychological jungle challenges, with a $100,000 prize at stake.

That announcement captures how far her career has moved from its starting point. Maura Higgins is no longer simply a former Love Island contestant who remained visible after reality television. She has developed experience as a presenter, model, brand ambassador, actor and U.S. television personality, while continuing to use the directness and personality that first attracted viewers.

Her inclusion on TIME’s 2026 Creators list offered another sign of that broader reach. RTÉ reported that the annual list recognized 100 influential digital creators across fields including entertainment, fashion, food, sport and education. Her path from a 2019 dating-show contestant to an international television and digital figure illustrates how a reality-TV breakthrough can become the beginning of a much larger career when the person behind the fame keeps finding new formats to enter.