Giggling Maura Higgins gets close to Chris Hughes after split with Love Island co-star Chris Taylor
MAURA Higgins appears to be swapping one Chris for another after cosying up to Chris Hughes after her split from Chris Taylor.
The 30-year-old giggled as she spent time with the model and fellow former Love Island contestant Chris, 28, on a day out to Thorpe Park.
Maura, who split with ex-boyfriend Chris Taylor, 30, earlier this month, looked to be enjoying herself on the amusement park trip.
She was spotted giggling and getting up close and personal with Hughes, who split with former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson last year.
Sparking romance rumours, the pair walked side-by-side throughout the park, and at one point Maura even reached in to whisper in his ear.
In one shot, Maura and Chris walked with Georgia Steel in the middle, but quickly found themselves stuck side by side as they enjoyed their day out.
A second snap saw them walking shoulder-to-shoulder, with Chris wrapped up in an all-grey tracksuit and Maura donning a white hoodie.
The Love Island star looked glamorous, tying her hair up into a neat bun, accessorising with a leather jacket, white trainers and silver jewellery.
Maura laughed and looked animated as the pair were snapped chatting away, while Chris looked solemnly at his phone.
Chris and Maura were then seen whispering in each others' ears at one point in the day, before playing a Hook A Duck game together.
The reality TV stars looked content as they left the park, alongside a small piglet plush toy they looked to have won playing the game.
Regardless of the rumours, the pair are firm friends thanks to them appearing on Love Island and Maura being pals with Chris' ex-girlfriend Olivia Attwood.
Maura and Chris Taylor split earlier this month, but the star insisted she "still loved" her ex and that the decision was mutual.
She broke the news on Instagram on May 4, telling fans the pair realised they're better off as friends instead of lovers.
"It breaks my heart to even type this," said Maura. "But I wanted to let everyone know that myself and Chris have made the joint decision to end our relationship.
"There is no wrong doing on either side. We still love, care and respect each other deeply from the minute we met each other we've been very close friends and that will never change.
"There is no regret, life is about taking chances. We wanted to make this work, but we have realised we work better being friends.
"While I appreciate people may speculate or create false stories, this is the truth.
"I wish Chris nothing but the best and I will always be one of his biggest supporters. Thank you for all of the love and support."
Chris, 30, also released a statement on Instagram, saying: "Hey guys. After some very heartfelt conversations over the past few days, myself and Maura are very sad to announce that we have decided to part ways.
"We are both still on very good terms and this was a mutual decision where nobody had done anything wrong.
"We will remain friends, as we have been since day one and I will always be in Maura's corner and have her back.
"We are both going through a very tough time with this atm, so please take any speculation with a metric tonne of salt, cos this is the only truth (and as always, trolls can kindly f*** off.)
"Thank you for all the love and support you've given us it's truly appreciated."
The couple became good friends after appearing on the 2019 series of Love Island. As the pair spent more time together last summer, fans would comment on social media that they would make the perfect couple.
After months of speculation, Maura revealed she was dating Chris in November after their friendship turned romantic in lockdown.
The pair had always denied romance rumours, but Chris, melted hearts by admitting he'd "fallen in love with his best mate."
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday in January, Maura said she wanted Chris to pop the question.
“We’re very much in love and we use the L-word a lot," said Maura. "I look into the future and see myself with a family.
"I want to be married before I have a baby, so Chris better hurry up and give me that engagement ring, because I’m not getting any younger.
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Meanwhile, Chris split with ex Jesy Nelson in April 2020, called it quits while isolating in separate homes because of the coronavirus lockdown.
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A source told The Sun Online: "Jesy and Chris split up a couple of weeks ago. It was all very amicable and they're still really good friends.
"Jesy rang Chris and led the conversation about their relationship and both agreed that it felt like it had run its course - they're both absolutely fine."
