Maura Higgins returns to Dancing With The Stars with emotional tribute to Ireland after painful neck injury but friends fear she ‘is pushing herself to breaking point’ during US takeover

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By BETHAN EDWARDS, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER 08:47 21 Oct 2026, updated 08:48 21 Oct 2026

Maura Higgins has returned to Dancing With The Stars with an emotional tribute to Ireland after suffering a painful neck injury.

The Love Island star, 35, performed an energetic Paso Doble with partner Mark Ballas and the pair were joined by World Champion Irish dancer Lochlan Howard.

Maura wowed in a sparkling green ensemble that contained a train which was made of the colours of the Irish flag.

The powerful performance was applauded by the judges as ‘amazing’ and ‘fun’ with the pair being awarded a score of 35/40 after receiving three nines and one eight.

However, several of Maura’s friends fear she is ‘pushing herself to breaking point’ during her US takeover following the painful injury.

Last week, the model suffered an agonising neck injury while rehearsing and admitted the pain has been getting worse as the competition heats up.

She has become a firm favourite on the current season of the US TV show, earning consistently high scores for her routines with pro partner Mark.

But in rehearsal footage, the TV star was seen writhing on the floor in agony as medics treated her for a painful neck injury after falling to the floor holding her neck and yelling for help.

Mark and a medic then rushed to Maura’s side as she remained keeled over.

‘I’ve been having this like twinge in the left side of my neck,’ she explained to the cameras.

‘I genuinely feel like it’s getting worse,’ adding that she was concerned the injury would ‘ruin’ her live performance.

Despite the injury, Maura powered through her most recent performance but recently joked her ‘ribs are currently broken’.

While attending the star-studded Victoria’s Secret fashion show, the Celebrity Traitors star referred to her tiny latex corset: ‘Hello. Yes, I cannot breathe. My ribs are currently broken.’

While the quip was delivered in jest, there is a feeling among those close to Maura that she has been pushing herself incredibly hard.

A pal told The Sun: ‘Maura is living her best life and everyone is so proud of what she’s achieving, but there is a concern that she’s trying to do too much at once.

‘She’s always been incredibly driven and doesn’t like letting opportunities pass her by. But the people who love her want her to understand that she doesn’t have to push herself to breaking point to prove herself.’

Ahead of the performance on Tuesday, Maura took to Instagram to say she is ‘proud’ of her Irish roots and that she’ll never forget where she came from.

She wrote: ‘I’ve been lucky enough to chase my dreams across the world, but no matter how far I go, I’ll never forget where I came from.

‘I’m so proud to come from a little country with such a big heart. The kindness, the humour, the strength of our people and the way we always show up for one another is something I’ll never take for granted.

‘To be able to celebrate my roots on a stage like @dancingwiththestars is something my younger self could only have dreamed of!!

‘And to every little country girl out there with big dreams, never let where you come from make you feel like there’s a limit to where you can go. If anything, let it be the reason you dream even bigger.

‘This one’s for every single person back home who has cheered me on, believed in me and supported me along the way!! I’ll always be your Irish girl, and I really hope I make you proud.’

Maura’s Love Island pal Molly-Mae Hague took to the comments and penned: ‘I’m soooooo exicted for this’.

While Tasha Ghouri wrote: ‘Go girl!!! You’ve got this’.

The latest episode was an eventful one, with pro ballroom dancer Kym Johnson joining Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli as a guest judge for the big night.

The theme of week six was Dedication Night, leaving the live audience and judges sometimes in tears after a number of moving performances for the evening.

Viewers were also shocked when it was revealed that there would be no eliminations, and all 10 couples still remaining will be moving on to the next round.

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