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Maura Higgins 'replaced as host of Love Island USA Aftersun after just one series as familiar face takes her place'

Maura Higgins 'replaced as host of Love Island USA Aftersun after just one series as familiar face takes her place'

Daily Mail​07-06-2025
has reportedly been replaced as host of Love Island USA 's spin-off series Aftersun after just one series.
The Irish beauty, 34, was also social media presenter for the US' main show but now Sophie Monk, who is no stranger to fans and fronts the Aussie version, will be taking her place.
According to The Sun Maura was unable to continue in the role due to scheduling conflicts, with fans speculating she's signed up for the new series of Traitors US.
A source told the publication: 'Maura wasn't able to commit to hosting Aftersun this season due to other work commitments, but she will be back on screen in some capacity later in the run.'
Love Island USA's offical Instagram account shared a stunning snap of Sophie as they welcomed her to the 'Aftersun family' to which Maura herself, gushed: 'Yess Queen!'.
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The Irish beauty, was also social media presenter for the US show but now Sophie Monk (pictured) who is no stranger to fans and fronts the Aussie version, will be taking her place
Following the announcement one fan asked: 'Where's Maura?' while another replied: 'She's going to be on Traitors'.
MailOnline have contacted Maura's representatives for comment.
Maura has had a long-standing connection to Love Island, starting off in 2019 when she starred in series five alongside the likes of Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury.
She finished up in fourth place alongside then partner Curtis Pritchard.
Then in 2023, she returned to the Love Island family as the social media presenter for Love Island USA and the Love Island Games.
The following year, she landed a role as host of Love Island USA: Aftersun, where she proved popular with viewers and is now reportedly set to return to the job for 2025.
Following her most recent stint on Love Island, Maura jetted to Australia to star on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, where she first met Danny.
At the time, Maura was involved with former TOWIE hunk Pete Wicks, with the Irish beauty even opening up on their romance on the show.
Maura has had a long-standing connection to Love Island, starting off in 2019 when she starred in series five alongside the likes of Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury [Maura pictured hosting Love Island USA: Aftersun last year]
Love Island USA's offical Instagram account shared a stunning snap of Sophie as they welcomed her to the 'Aftersun family' to which Maura herself, commented: 'Yess Queen!'
However, things were not meant to be and the couple called off their romance earlier this year.
Just weeks later, Maura was spotted kissing rocker Danny at a BRITs after party, which resulted in Danny's wife Georgia Horsley temporarily moving out of the family home amid the scandal.
Meanwhile, Maura's name is one of those attached to a Love Island spin-off, which will air this year and will feature some of the biggest names in the show's history.
Love Island will commemorate its 10th anniversary on screen by welcoming back a series of its biggest stars for a spin-off where they reveal their juiciest secrets.
According to The Sun, other names attached to the series include Zara McDermott, Dani Dyer and Ekin-Su Culculoglu.
The series is expected to air ahead of the upcoming series in June, with the publication reporting it will take on a 'Gogglebox style format'.
Some of the show's biggest success stories will look back on clips of the most memorable moments from the past 10 years.
A source said: 'You can expect quite a few of them to reveal some seriously behind-the-scenes stories from their time in the villa.
'Love Island fans will be thrilled at the prospect, not least because ITV have brought back some of the show's best known stars.
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Jeannie Seely, soulful country singer behind hits like 'Don't Touch Me,' dies at 85
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Katie Price and Kerry Katona reveal they WANT their teenage daughters to go on Love Island and follow in their reality TV footsteps as they weigh in on 'nepo baby' debate
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Hugh Hefner's widow Crystal makes jaw-dropping claim about Playboy mogul's family and her inheritance
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When he wasn't here, when he didn't know what the f*** was up or down half of the time, why would he change his will?"' He continued: 'And that's why I sent an email saying, "I don't think he's competent anymore, guys, can we agree on this?" And nobody really wanted to address what I perceived as the elephant in the room. 'And then more than that, it's like why is it when somebody can't play his favorite thing and doesn't know where he is, why is he changing his f***ing will? Why are people allowing that to happen?' Crystal famously wed the magazine publisher in 2012 when she was 26 and he was 86. They were married until his death at age 91 in 2017, which was the result of heart failure and septicemia after contracting a deadly strain of e-coli. He left a reported $43 million fortune behind. Last year, Crystal published her explosive memoir, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy And Finding Myself, in which she made a number of bombshell claims, including that she never loved the late magazine kingpin and she felt imprisoned in their four-year marriage. Marston revealed how he had messaged Holly and Bridget, referring to Crystal as a 'master manipulator' after reading her book, and questioned some of her claims - as well as her motivation for writing the memoir. Suggesting that she buys Instagram followers, he asked: 'If you're not interested in fame, why are you buying Instagram followers? 'If you're not after money, then why was she hustling as Crystal DJ Hefner?' Crystal later fired back at Marston's claims in a statement to Us Weekly. 'I feel that obviously he has a lot of pain and hurt still from the relationship or lack thereof with his father.' She added, 'And there are some things I think he's trying to heal or get answers to that he's realizing may never be answered. So maybe he's filling in the blanks themselves.' Crystal also strongly denied Marston's claims that she had Hugh 'dosed with f***ing medication' and that she had 'invited strangers' to Hugh's funeral. 'I was married to him. I was closest to Hef,' she insisted. Regarding Holly and Bridget, Crystal said that the duo were trying to 'sabotage' her and 'pull my life apart'. 'If I have a problem with someone, I'll go to the person and talk to them. Obviously they just want attention,' she sniffed. In another statement, this time to the New York Post, Crystal said that Marston's claims about her changing Hef's will were false. 'This story is untrue and was discredited by Hef's estate attorney who wrote his will years before Hef passed,' she said. Last month, Crystal announced that she had officially taken legal steps to change her name, nearly eight years after her husband's death. On June 13, 2025, she filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to revert to her maiden name, Crystal Margaret Harris. The filing, which was reviewed by People, indicates that she is seeking to resume the name she held before her marriage to Hugh.

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