The Rivalry Between Maura Higgins and Olivia Attwood
Maura Higgins and Olivia Attwood have been locked in a feud for months over claims that Maura has been trying to ‘copy’ Olivia’s career. While there have undoubtedly been similarities in their career trajectories, when it comes to the pair’s plans to crack America, currently Maura is coming out on top.
It’s now been claimed that Olivia and Maura’s rivalry has hit boiling point over their toxic whispers, Pete Wicks connection, and vicious comments. Seeing Maura rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars at the nation’s biggest sporting event no doubt left a bitter taste in Olivia’s mouth. Yet while the Irish star may have won this battle, in the grand scheme of things, who looks set to win the war?
Net Worth
While Maura’s season of Love Island was the most watched to date, boasting an average of 5.61 million viewers, it’s Olivia who has managed to earn more. Olivia, who appeared on season three of the show in 2017, immediately capitalised on her fame by coming out of the villa and starring in Chris & Olivia: Crackin’ On with then boyfriend, Chris Hughes.
After a series of calculated career moves and seeing her fame go on the rise, she now has an estimated net worth of a staggering £6 million. In comparison, Maura – who appeared on season five of Love Island in 2019 – has an estimated net worth of £4.6 million, although this looks set to rise given her newfound success across the pond.
TV Gigs
Off the back of her Love Island success, Olivia carried on the reality TV route and appeared on Celebs Go Dating and TOWIE before launching her own reality series: Olivia Meets Her Match. In 2022, she began presenting documentaries on ITV, with the first series. Olivia Attwood: Getting Filthy Rich, a look into the sex work industry, an instant hit.
She went on to work on a series of docs with the broadcaster, including Olivia Attwood vs The Trolls; Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection Presenter and Olivia Attwood’s Bad Boyfriends. In November 2022, she featured as a contestant on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! but was forced to withdraw due to medical grounds. The following year she became a panellist on Loose Women.
As for Maura, she too went down the reality route after Love Island, competing on Dancing on Ice, where she made it through to week six. After a series of reality roles she was then made the host of Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, an accolade that scooped her Best Female TV Presenter at The Gossies Awards.
She went on to make her film debut in Irish movie The Spin, which is set for release later this month. Maura was then said to be heading for Hollywood stardom after ‘impressing industry insiders’ with her acting debut.
American Ambition
Maura was the first to feature on US screens when she joined Love Island USA as a social media ambassador, soon becoming a guest host for the Love Island Games and then the main host of spin-off Aftersun. She went on to land a spot on the star-studded line up for The Traitors US, competing against the likes of Lisa Rinna and Michael Rapaport.
Maura was selected to attend The Super Bowl this month as a guest of Primark, who brought together celebrities such as Maura and Anastasia Karanikolaou. Her plans to crack America are obvious with the star signing with public relations agency, Align, which specialises in growing careers in the US, earlier this year.
The Daily Mail understands that Maura chose to sign with Align due to her growing work in the United States, including her upcoming appearance on The Traitors US. Maura also recently revealed that she has signed with a major US talent agency, Creative Artist Agency, whose glittering list of clients includes big names like Lady Gaga.
Olivia has also spent a lot of time in the US filming her various ITV shows and she was also out there last year working on a ‘secret project’. Speaking to Daily Mail, Olivia said she has ‘had offers’ from bosses across the pond, and hopes that with the help of her new international fanbase, she could take her career global.
Famous Exes
Both Olivia and Maura have made headlines with their love lives, hardly surprising given they found their fame on a dating show. After Olivia split from her Love Island boyfriend Chris, she ended up reconciling with her footballer ex Bradley Dack. The couple ended up tying the knot in 2023, but since they’ve been together, Olivia’s star power has continued to rise, while Bradley’s career has somewhat stagnated.
Their relationship didn’t last, however, and Olivia announced the end of her marriage in an emotional statement last week. Reports claimed their marriage ended after the footballer ‘crossed a line’ and ‘breached her trust’. The nature of the screenshot is said to have made Olivia aware of something she had not been privy too which ultimately led to their split.
A source close to Olivia said: ‘Olivia was never shown a message of Bradley messaging other girls. But was sent a screenshot that made her aware of something she’d not been privy to, which led to the decision to split.’
What Sparked the Feud?
The pair’s rift first came to light in 2024 during Maura’s stint in the I’m A Celeb jungle, where she claimed to have scrubbed a toilet with an ex-boyfriend’s toothbrush for revenge, a story she had previously linked to her breakup with Curtis Pritchard.
Sources revealed that Maura was seen as trying to follow a ‘similar script’ to boost her appeal, mirroring Olivia’s path after she signed up for Love Island in 2017 following her split from Bradley Dack after he was unfaithful.
The tension between the two further escalated when they were both signed to the same PR agency, Dundas Communications. The dynamic became awkward as they were lined up for similar jobs, prompting Olivia, who had worked with the agency first, to move on.
