Maura Higgins headed to Dancing With The Stars training on Friday wearing a matching Alo Yoga sports bra and leggings worth £208, after admitting she feels "pressure" to succeed on the show amid a reported 'fix' row with her co-stars.
The former Love Island star, 35, has been paired with professional dancer Mark Ballas, the son of head judge Shirley Ballas, for the show's launch on Tuesday, September 15. The pairing has reportedly caused friction behind the scenes.
Higgins, who also appeared on The Traitors, has brushed off the drama and said she wants to deliver a strong performance in her first ever dance competition. "There's definitely pressure. You want to give the audience a really good performance," she said. "But I mean, everyone can do their best, and I'm definitely going to do mine. I am giving it my all. I've never danced in my life. So it's very, very new for me. But I just want to enjoy it."
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Higgins described the physical toll of training. "It's very early days, but my God, my body has taken a shock," she said. "I was expecting it to be hard, but holy God. It's a serious battering; the blisters are something else. But I'm just loving it. I'm honestly loving it so far."
'Fix' row allegations
Higgins' involvement in the show has reportedly unsettled some of her fellow contestants even before the competition has begun. A source told The Sun that Higgins had been "rubbing everyone up the wrong way, even before their first spray tans have dried," claiming she had been "desperate" to be partnered with Ballas and "dead against" being paired with dancer Gleb, who the source said is "now out of a job" as a result.
"It's as if what Maura says goes," the source said, adding that Higgins had "made sure to get close to" judge Bruno Tonioli and "wasted no time posing arm-in-arm with him after a night out." The source claimed, "It's not gone unnoticed within the cast that she's being favoured. It's as if she's being set up to win." The Daily Mail contacted Higgins' representatives for comment at the time.
Six-figure payday
Despite the controversy, Higgins is reportedly still guaranteed a six-figure payday for her time on the show. She will earn £93,000 even if she is eliminated within the first two weeks, with that figure rising by an additional £7,000 per week for weeks three and four. Making it to week five adds a further £11,000, and reaching week six brings an additional £20,000. Contestants who last until weeks eight and nine earn an extra £22,000 per week.
Other casting controversies
Higgins is not the only Dancing With The Stars contestant to generate controversy ahead of the show's 35th season. Former backing dancer and Step Up star Jenna Dewan has faced backlash and accusations that she has an "unfair" advantage over her fellow celebrities.
In the early 2000s, Dewan worked as a backup dancer touring with major artists including Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Pink and Missy Elliott. In 2006, she starred as ballerina Nora Clark in the film Step Up alongside her now ex-husband, Channing Tatum.
The season's cast also includes Save the Last Dance star Julia Stiles, The Bachelor's Tyler Cameron, who previously competed on 2022's The Real Dirty Dancing, and Glee star Harry Shum Jr, who has also toured as a professional dancer. A source told the Daily Mail, "The cast is definitely whispering about how unfair some of the casting is, especially with Jenna being a former dancer and others having dance experience." A second source was more blunt: "Everyone thinks Jenna Dewan has a very unfair advantage because she is a professional dancer. That is how she began her career. It's like, 'Duh, we all know she's going to win.'"
Dewan addressed the criticism directly in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "I do not know how to ballroom dance. Let's be clear. It's two different languages," she said. "There's parts of my dance training that's helpful, obviously. I've learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me."
More casting whispers
According to the source, Dewan is not the only contestant drawing scrutiny. "There are issues with Tatyana [Ali] being on the show," they said, noting her closeness to co-host Alfonso Ribeiro. The pair previously played siblings on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the source said "there is a massive bond there."
The source also described "some eyerolling" behind the scenes over contestants expected to become fan favourites, naming Ciara Miller, following her experience with Amanda Batula and West Wilson on Summer House, and Higgins, "since people felt bad Rob [Rausch] robbed her from winning The Traitors."
