Maura Higgins raised eyebrows on Monday night when she was spotted getting down and dirty with Kai Widdrington inside the Pride Of Britain Awards at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.
The former Love Island star has had her fair share of links within the Strictly Come Dancing family.
In recent weeks, Maura has been linked to current Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, 36, fueling romance rumors with a couple of cozy dates together.
She also shared a brief relationship with former professional Giovanni Pernice, 34, in 2021, but they broke up after four months.
Now it looks like Maura is adding another man to her Strictly Square, as she seemed very close to professional dancer Kai.
Maura Higgins, 33, and Kai Widdrington, 29, got down to business at the Pride Of Britain Awards held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday night.
Maura couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she mingled with Kai.
Maura couldn’t take her eyes off Kai as she held a rose to her eye.
Kai, 29, and Maura, 33, looked very close as they joked around after the ceremony, with the professional dancer hugging the presenter tightly.
At one point, Kai appeared to spin Maura around before heading into a different room together.
Kai is believed to be currently single following his split from professional partner Nadiya Bychkova.
Maura fueled romance rumors with Pete when the pair were spotted getting cozy in a London pub last month.
One viewer exclusively told MailOnline that the pair were inseparable, whispering in each other’s ears and even locking their legs together as they enjoyed a drink alongside Wynne Evans, Tom Dean and Jamie Borthwick.
The witness shared: “They were on top of each other, I was surprised to see them so close because I thought he had real chemistry with Jowita.
“At one point, they were basically straddling each other and didn’t seem to care at all that people could see them.
‘You’d think Pete would be more worried about Tom given he’d just been kicked off Strictly but he only had eyes for Maura all night!’
Romance rumors between the reality stars began to surface when they were photographed kissing outside the Broadwick Soho hotel.
Kai couldn’t keep his hands off of Maura as they embraced inside the venue.
At one point, Kai appeared to spin Maura around before heading into a different room together.
Maura and Kai left arm in arm
The former Love Island star has had her fair share of links within the Strictly Come Dancing family (Giovanni Pernice pictured)
In recent weeks, Maura has been linked to current Strictly contestant Pete Wicks, 36, after fueling romance rumors following a couple of cozy dates together.
Now it looks like Maura is adding another man to her Strictly Square, as she seemed very close to professional dancer Kai.
Maura then poked fun at the reports last month while supporting him on his Staying Relevant podcast tour.
In 2021, Maura’s ex-boyfriend Giovanni insisted there was “absolutely no crime” in the reason for their split.
At the time, Giovanni insisted that sometimes “great relationships with great people can come to a natural end,” as they did with him and Maura.
He wrote: “Hey guys, I hope everyone had a great Monday.” Going into another wonderful week of training, thank you so much for your wonderful messages and support this weekend.
‘I can live my dream every day because of you, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I wanted to say a couple of things…
‘First of all, good relationships with great people can come to a natural end. This has been my case recently. There was absolutely no crime and this should be the end of any speculation.
‘While I respect and understand the interest in my personal life, wouldn’t it be great to use this space to raise awareness about topics and issues that need attention?
‘My eyes have been opened to many things during my career. But I’m learning a lot from this Strictly series.
Maura fueled romance rumors with Pete Wicks when the pair were seen getting cozy in a London pub last month (pictured at the awards ceremony).
Her ex-boyfriend Giovanni insisted there was “absolutely no crime” behind their split.
At the time, Giovanni insisted that sometimes “great relationships with great people can come to a natural end,” as they did with him and Maura.
‘The show has highlighted many important conversations for different communities and greater representation.
‘These are the conversations that deserve time, energy and recognition. We must focus on what is important and how we can all make a difference in life. Gio x’.
As Kai cuddled Maura at the awards ceremony, his Strictly ex Nadiya Bychkova opened up about their split earlier in the night, when she arrived on the red carpet alone.
The dancers reportedly ended their two-year romance after “driving emotionally apart from each other,” with sources claiming the pressures of touring together took a toll on their relationship.
As Kai and Maura approached, Nadiya, 35, said The mirror on the red carpet that she and Kai “are not friends.”
When asked if she and Kai are still friends, Nadiya said: “We work together but we’re not friends and that’s okay.”
“One thing I can tell you is that when you see me dance with him it will be amazing because I am a professional.”
In July, MailOnline confirmed that Nadiya and Kai, who compete in the BBC soap, split in June, at the end of their lucrative Behind the Magic tour.
As Kai cuddled up to the Love Island star, his ex Nadiya Bychkova, 35, opened up about their split earlier in the night, when she arrived on the red carpet alone.
The dancers reportedly ended their two-year romance after “driving emotionally apart from each other,” and sources claim the pressures of touring together took a toll on their relationship.
As Kai and Maura grew closer, Nadiya admitted on the red carpet that she and Kai “aren’t friends.”
It has now been reported that the couple were battling off-stage issues during their tour, and the pressure of being in each other’s space 24/7 finally “took its toll” on their relationship.
A friend of Kai and Nadiya told The Sun: “It’s heartbreaking. Kai and Nadiya seemed like the most perfect couple and have been so, so happily in love.
“But the pressures of touring, being in each other’s space 24/7, and the stress of performing a sold-out show eventually took their toll.
“They had been drifting emotionally for a while, and things came to a head during the tour – ironically called Behind The Magic – which was obviously incredibly problematic.”
Kai and Nadiya made the mutual decision to call it quits “after a difficult few weeks” once their tour ended, the source added.