Irish Daily Mirror

Maura steps out with dancer Gio

love island beauty confirms romance with strictly star by posting pic online

- BY KATIE GALLAGHER Showbiz Editor news@irishmirro­r.ie

MAURA higgins confirmed her new romance with a loved-up snap, after months of rumours circulatin­g online.

The Love Island star was reported to have been secretly dating Strictly Come Dancing profession­al Giovanni Pernice for the past month.

And it appears the Longford-born star has finally admitted she is very much loved-up in her latest post.

Posting a snap to Instagram, where she boasts more than 3.2 million followers, the 30-year-old showcased her locked hands with her new beau as they enjoyed a romantic dinner.

It is the first time Maura has shared a social media snap that featured Giovanni since rumours first began to swirl. The sweet snap comes days after the duo were spotted sharing a cuddle while attending a venue in Blackpool, where Giovanni is currently performing.

Last week, the lovebirds finally went public with their romance as they were spotted enjoying several dates together.

First they were spied at a Euros football match in London before being spotted in Blackpool.

Maura had travelled up to the north of England to support Giovanni while he performed alongside Anton Du Beke in their show Me And

Him. Her latest romance came just a few short months after she confirmed she had split from fellow Love Island star Chris Taylor.

Maura also remembered her late best friend Andrew Rowan in an emotional tribute on his anniversar­y yesterday.

He died in a tragic accident, aged 26, after his motorbike collided with

three cars in Athlone, Co Westmeath, in 2017.

She marked the fourth anniversar­y of his death on Instagram with a throwback black-andwhite snap of her and Andrew, saying: “Love you always.”

She captioned the post: “Another year has passed... but you’ll always be in my heart, because in there you’re still alive.”

The 30-year-old previously told how she was left devastated after her pal’s horror crash.

She opened up about her heartbreak and recalled the moment she found out was a total “blur” as she went into shock.

Maura said Andrew had asked her to go for dinner but she declined, adding: “For so long, I used to think that if I had gone for dinner with him that day, when he had asked, he wouldn’t have been on that motorbike.

“My family kept saying to me, ‘Maura, you can’t think like this, it was going to happen’, but I just kicked myself and got worked up about it for so long.

“It was a blur, I think I was in shock for a lot of it.”

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? NEW PARTNER Giovanni Pernice
NEW PARTNER Giovanni Pernice
 ??  ?? WINED & DINED Maura holding hands with Giovanni on Instagram
WELL SUITED Profession­al dancer Giovanni
WINED & DINED Maura holding hands with Giovanni on Instagram WELL SUITED Profession­al dancer Giovanni
 ??  ?? NEW BEAU Maura Higgins from Longford
NEW BEAU Maura Higgins from Longford
 ??  ?? SPLIT Wth ex Chris Taylor
SPLIT Wth ex Chris Taylor

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