Maura Higgins’ DWTS Drama With Mark Ballas Revealed
Maura Higgins is discovering that life in the Dancing With the Stars ballroom is a lot tougher than it looks on television.
The former Love Island star has been thrown into one of the most demanding routines of her career as she prepares to compete on DWTS Season 35 with three-time Mirrorball champion Mark Ballas. And according to a new report, the pair have already experienced some tense — and sometimes funny — moments during rehearsals.
But calling it a full-blown feud would be stretching the story.
The reported friction appears to be more about long rehearsal days, difficult choreography and the pressure of getting ready for a live television competition.
For Maura, who has built a career around being outspoken and unfiltered, the ballroom is proving to be a very different challenge.
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas Are Already Feeling the Pressure
Higgins and Ballas aren’t strangers.
The two previously appeared together on Season 4 of The Traitors, where they developed a friendship. That history made their DWTS pairing particularly interesting when it was announced in September.
Now they’re spending hours together in the rehearsal studio.
The Sun reported that Higgins has struggled at times with remembering choreography, leading to stressful rehearsal sessions and some bickering between the pair. The report also described their relationship as having something of a sibling-like quality rather than suggesting a serious personal breakdown.
That distinction matters.
Dancing With the Stars is an intense environment. Celebrities who have never trained seriously in ballroom dancing are expected to absorb complicated routines, timing, posture and performance skills in a matter of days.
Higgins has openly acknowledged that she is a beginner.
And Ballas knows exactly how steep that learning curve can be.
Mark Ballas Gave Maura a Brutally Honest Dance Assessment
Before the season began, Higgins reportedly asked Ballas for an honest assessment of her dancing.
His answer was hardly the confidence boost she was hoping for.
In an interview reported by CinemaBlend, Ballas joked that Higgins asked him to rate how bad she was at dancing on a scale of one to 10. He answered with a four before making clear that she was a genuine beginner and that they were building her skills step by step.
It was the sort of exchange that explains their unusual dynamic.
There is clearly enough trust between them for Ballas to tease her, while Higgins isn’t afraid to challenge him right back.
That chemistry could become one of the more entertaining storylines of the season.
Maura Higgins’ DWTS Partnership Was a Full-Circle Moment
Higgins didn’t hide her enthusiasm about joining Dancing With the Stars.
She had reportedly talked about wanting to compete on the show even before she knew who her professional partner would be. When Ballas was eventually assigned to her, it reunited two people who already knew each other from The Traitors.
Ballas has also spoken positively about Higgins’ work ethic.
That is significant because her lack of formal ballroom experience could have made the partnership particularly difficult.
Instead, the two have approached the challenge from the ground up.
Their preparation has also included some physical mishaps. Recent coverage reported that Higgins and Ballas accidentally bumped heads during rehearsal, while Higgins has joked about being dropped during practice.
That’s hardly unusual for a competition built around complicated lifts and fast choreography.
When Is Maura Higgins Dancing on DWTS?
The timing couldn’t be more important.
Dancing With the Stars Season 35 launched with a special two-night premiere on September 15 and 16, 2026.
The first night featured the male celebrities, while the female celebrities — including Higgins — are scheduled to make their competitive debuts on September 16.
Higgins and Ballas are performing a Foxtrot to “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles.
And there is immediate pressure attached to the performance.
One celebrity is eliminated at the end of each premiere night under this season’s unusual format.
That means Higgins won’t have weeks to settle into the competition.
Her first performance matters immediately.
Maura Higgins’ Love Island Journey Made Her a Reality-TV Favorite
For American viewers who are meeting Higgins for the first time through DWTS, her history stretches back several years.
Higgins became widely known after appearing on the 2019 season of Love Island UK. Her blunt personality and memorable one-liners quickly made her one of the show’s standout personalities.
Since then, her career has moved well beyond dating reality television.
She has appeared on Dancing on Ice, worked as a presenter, participated in I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and later joined the cast of The Traitors US.
Her move into American television has therefore been gradual rather than sudden.
Dancing With the Stars is simply the latest — and potentially most visible — chapter.
Maura Higgins and The Traitors Connection
Her appearance on The Traitors US is especially relevant to her DWTS story because that’s where she crossed paths with Ballas.
Higgins competed on Season 4 and finished as the runner-up, while Ballas was also part of that season’s cast.
Their existing friendship gives the DWTS partnership something many celebrity-pro pairings don’t have: history.
They already know each other’s personalities.
That could make the brutal rehearsal schedule easier — or, judging by the reported bickering, occasionally more complicated.
Either way, it gives viewers another storyline to follow beyond the dancing itself.
How Old Is Maura Higgins?
Maura Higgins is 35 years old in 2026.
She was born on November 25, 1990, in Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland.
Her career began long before her American television breakthrough, including work in hairdressing and modeling before Love Island turned her into a recognizable reality-TV personality.
Today, Higgins has developed into a presenter, model and television personality with work on both sides of the Atlantic.
Maura Higgins’ Net Worth
Online estimates of celebrity wealth vary considerably, and Higgins has not publicly confirmed a definitive personal net-worth figure.
One 2026 estimate from Parade placed Maura Higgins’ net worth between $4.5 million and $6 million, although that figure should be treated as an estimate rather than an audited financial statement.
Her income has come from several different areas, including television appearances, presenting work, modeling, brand partnerships and beauty collaborations.
Her expanding U.S. television career has also increased her profile considerably.
What About Maura Higgins’ Real Hair?
The question about Maura Higgins’ real hair has followed her throughout her reality-TV career.
She’s known for glamorous hairstyles and polished red-carpet looks, but beauty-related searches around Higgins frequently focus on whether particular hairstyles involve extensions or other styling techniques.
That interest is hardly surprising given her background in beauty and her long history of fashion and makeup partnerships.
Still, individual hairstyle photos aren’t enough to establish exactly what extensions or styling products she may be using at any given moment.
Maura Higgins on Instagram
Fans can follow Higgins through her official Instagram account, @maurahiggins.
Her account currently has millions of followers and regularly features fashion, beauty, television appearances and behind-the-scenes content.
Her social media presence is also becoming part of the DWTS storyline, with rehearsal and behind-the-scenes moments giving fans a glimpse at what happens away from the live ballroom.
The Real Question: Can Maura Survive the Ballroom?
The early reports make one thing clear: Higgins is not walking into Dancing With the Stars as a trained ballroom dancer.
She’s learning.
She’s making mistakes.
She’s getting corrected.
And she’s putting in the hours.
That’s precisely what makes her DWTS story interesting.
The reported tension with Ballas appears tied to the realities of learning demanding choreography under a tight deadline, rather than evidence of a serious falling-out.
Her biggest advantage may ultimately be the same quality that made her famous on Love Island: personality.
Whether that translates into ballroom success is something viewers will find out on the dance floor.
For now, Maura Higgins has gone from a Love Island bombshell to a Traitors finalist and now a DWTS contender — with Mark Ballas beside her and a very short amount of time to get the steps right.
And on a show where one mistake can change everything, the pressure is already on.