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Love Island star Maura Higgins says speaking out about her mental health issues in public for the first time was like a “weight had been lifted off her shoulders”.
The TV personality previously admitted that she struggled with “dark thoughts” after leaving her native Ireland and moving to London, where she soon established a career in media.
During an emotional interview with Paul C. Brunson we need to talk In the October podcast, Higgins, 34, said she was exposed to the public with “no one she could trust” after her first appearance on Love Island in 2019.
But she believes the decision to speak so openly about her mental health battle has been beneficial, despite her initial fears about being open.
She told Heart radio: “I was absolutely petrified talking openly about my mental health. I can be a pretty closed book about things like that, but I’m glad I did it.
“I was very, very nervous about doing it, but now I think, ‘Oh my God, I should have done this a long time ago.'” It’s like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders.
Love Island star Maura Higgins says speaking out about her mental health issues in public for the first time was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

During an emotional interview with the We Need To Talk podcast in October, Higgins admitted that she struggled with “dark thoughts” after leaving her native Ireland and moving to London.
‘I feel like it’s nice to talk like everyone else says this, but it actually helps a lot. You know, about any little thing in your life, it’s good to open up.’
Higgins also credited her mother Sharon for giving her the opportunity to vent when she was feeling down.
She said: ‘Mum has always been incredibly supportive, God bless her, that woman is like my therapist. She has to listen to everything.
“But it’s good, it’s good to have that close relationship, so you can talk about whatever you want and let everything out.”
In October, Higgins admitted she “didn’t want to be here anymore” after struggling to adapt to life outside the Love Island villa.
‘The paparazzi followed me everywhere. I didn’t have clothes. “I had a suitcase with just Love Island bikinis that were probably crunchy,” she said.
“I had nothing, absolutely nothing. I lived in a hotel in London because that was where all my work was and I was very overloaded. There was no rest.
“It was going from one thing to another, like, on the radio, to this photo shoot for you to sign with brands.”

But she believes the decision to speak so openly about her mental health battle has been beneficial, despite her initial fears about being open.

Appearing on Paul C. Brunson’s podcast in October, Higgins broke down in tears and admitted she “didn’t want to be here” after her sudden fame on Love Island.
And he added: ‘I had a nervous breakdown. I had dark thoughts, very dark thoughts. And it got to a point where I don’t think I even told my mother. I tell my mom everything. I didn’t tell him how bad it was.
‘I didn’t want to be here anymore. I thought that was going to be the best.
‘A lot was expected of me. And because I was there alone, I thought, “I just don’t have anyone to help me.”
Higgins joins a growing number of former Love Island contestants in publicly admitting to mental health issues after the show.
The TV personality, who finished fourth on the UK show’s fifth season in 2019, is now Love Island USA’s social media ambassador.
He has since appeared on Dancing on Ice, This Morning and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

“I had nothing, absolutely nothing. I lived in a hotel in London because that was where all my work was and I was very overloaded. There was no rest

Higgins became a household name after appearing on ITV2’s Love Island in 2019 (pictured)