Maura Higgins got advice from Michael Barrymore when she was struggling after 'Love Island'.
Maura Higgins
The 30-year-old reality TV star admitted she found it hard to cope in the weeks and months after leaving the 'Love Island' villa but her 'Dancing On Ice' co-star Barrymore provided helpful guidance.
She told Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper: "It was Michael Barrymore who gave me the advice. I was training for 'Dancing On Ice' and he is a really, really lovely man. He knew by me that I was going through a bit of a time of it.
"I remember him saying to me, ‘You need to take a break because if these brands and everyone really do want you then they will wait for you.’ So I took his advice and it’s the best thing I ever did. And I would give the same advice to all the new Love Islanders. I didn’t take all the jobs and I didn’t just think of all the cash.”
Maura - who is set to host the show 'Glow Up' on RTE2 next month - admitted she found her fame difficult to deal with and she felt isolated from her family and friends after appearing on 'Love Island'.
She explained: "When I came out of the villa my head was everywhere. It was so jumbled, I didn’t know where I was.
“I had moved straight over to England and didn’t get back home. I was living out of a hotel for weeks with nothing but a case full of 'Love Island' bikinis. And I had so many interviews and personal appearances... I will never forget how stressed I was.
“I was very overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to turn and I had nobody around me except the people from 'Love Island'. All my family and friends were in Ireland. It was just a very, very scary time. Very scary.
“Oh my god I felt very, very alone. Very alone. At one stage I remember thinking, ‘I don’t even know how I am going to get myself better.’ I remember I didn’t even speak to my mum or best friend about it. But they knew by me that I was not OK.”