Maura Higgins' mother Sharon has addressed speculation about her daughter's relationship with Pete Wicks during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine this morning.
The mother of the I'm A Celebrity star was questioned about recent revelations from the jungle, where Maura had confirmed she was dating someone famous before entering the show.
Sharon remained cautious when discussing her daughter's rumoured romance with the former TOWIE star.
During her interview with Lorraine Kelly, she addressed both her daughter's dating life and comments about personal conversations that had made headlines.
The appearance comes after Maura was spotted sharing a kiss with Pete Wicks outside London's Broadwick Soho Hotel in August, sparking widespread speculation about their relationship.
Speaking on Lorraine, Sharon Higgins revealed: "I can only say what she has told me, she did tell me that they were great friends and that she's single and she's dating."
She elaborated that her daughter wasn't necessarily looking for a new relationship so soon after her previous one.
"I don't know whether she expected to go on the dating scene again so soon after her last relationship," Sharon explained.
She emphasised Maura's supportive nature in friendships, adding: "The way she is with friends anyway, she's supportive. She's very supportive and they support her."
Maura Higgins' mother Sharon touched her her rumoured Pete Wicks relationship
ITV
Sharon maintained that her daughter was entitled to explore new relationships, stating: "So at the end of the day, look it, she's dating and she's entitled to date."
"Maura and Pete were always friends but like the way Maura is, she at the moment - she was concentrating on herself," she added.
In Monday's episode of I'm A Celebrity, Maura addressed the speculation about her relationship with Pete while washing clothes with campmate GK Barry.
"With the press, they only give a shit about my love life," Maura told GK Barry. "I get it in a sense because I know I was on a dating show, but it was five years ago."
The former Love Island star recalled being questioned about Pete by the media, saying: "You know more than me! No, I'm single. People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow."
Maura then made light of their photographed kiss, revealing: "Well, we've already been papped, tongues down each other's necks and we had no idea!"
Pete Wicks is currently appearing in this year's BBC Strictly
BBC
She added humorously: "The funniest part is I had a vape in one hand and a cigarette in the other, living my best life before the jungle."
When questioned about reports regarding intimate conversations with her daughter, Sharon quickly addressed the topic on Lorraine.
"That was taken out of context a little bit," Sharon clarified when Lorraine Kelly asked about Maura's claims of discussing all aspects of her sex life with her mother.
Sharon also revealed her concerns about ITV's voting system potentially disadvantaging her daughter in the competition.
"It's unfortunate. It was the same when she was in Love Island, the Irish couldn't vote," she explained.
She expressed frustration that viewers from the Republic of Ireland are unable to support Maura in the show.
"It's not open to the Republic of Ireland unfortunately and you know it puts her on the back foot that way because she has a lot of support here," Sharon added.
Pete Wicks has made public displays of support for Maura during her time in the jungle, taking to social media to encourage viewers to vote for her.
The TOWIE star shared a voting link with his 1.8 million Instagram followers, urging them to keep Maura in the competition.
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Reposting a meme of Maura on the ITV show, Pete wrote: "I've been George of the Jungle but now it's time to vote for Maura of the Jungle."
The social media support comes after Maura confirmed on Sunday's episode that she had been seeing someone famous before entering the jungle.
When asked by Dean McCullough if her romantic interest was also a public figure, she simply responded: "Yeah."
The pair were previously spotted together at the National Television Awards in October, though both have consistently maintained they are just friends.
