Who is Dancing On Ice’s Maura Higgins’ boyfriend Curtis Pritchard and how long have they been together?
4 January 2020, 20:04 | Updated: 4 January 2020, 20:06
The Love Island 2019 couple fell head over heels for each other in the summer series but how long have they been together?
Dancing on Ice star Maura Higgins first locked eyes with boyfriend Curtis Pritchard during the 2019 series of Love Island.
She sashayed onto our screens halfway through ITV's summer of love and stole the dashing ballroom dancer, who is the brother of Strictly's AJ Pritchard, from under fellow singleton Amy Hart's nose.
But how long have Maura and Curtis been together, and who exactly is the guy who won the Irish model's heart?
Read more: Maura Higgins reacts to Curtis' revelation he's 'open to a relationship with a man'
Who is Maura Higgins’ boyfriend Curtis Pritchard?
Curtis Pritchard skyrocketed to fame in 2019 after appearing on the hit ITV reality show, Love Island.
The handsome dancer and choreographer won fans over with his gentlemanly ways during the summer of love, but some viewers already recognised his face.
Not only has the British performer appeared on the Irish version of Dancing with the Stars, but his lookalike brother is famous too.
The 23-year-old, from Stoke-on-Trent, was born on 8th February 1996 making him the younger sibling of Strictly Come Dancing's AJ Pritchard.
Following in his brother's skilled footsteps, Curtis has snagged titles in Ballroom, Latin, Junior and Youth Championships as well as representing the UK all over the world.
Since finishing fourth place in the fifth series of Love Island with girlfriend Maura, he's gone on to build a career in television.
He is set to appear on The Greatest Dancer in January 2020.
How long have Maura and Curtis been together?
Maura Higgins ruffled feathers when she first entered the Love Island villa as she set her sights on coupled-up boxer Tommy Fury.
But after a failed attempt at making him stray, the Irish siren enjoyed a brief romance with Tom Walker before falling for her now boyfriend Curtis Pritchard.
The duo's relationship blossomed on screen and they finished fourth in the fifth series of the show.
Since leaving the villa, their romance has gone from strength to strength with them finally became an official couple in October 2019.
Curtis reportedly popped the girlfriend question over a romantic dinner following months of dating.
At the time, the former grid girl told OK!: "He asked and I said yes obviously. He took me away for a weekend break, and he asked me out over dinner in London the next day."
When quizzed about why it took so long, he explained: "I want something that's going to last forever. There's no point in rushing things. We've only known each other a short amount of time."
Read more: Love Island's Maura Higgins rates first romp with Curtis Pritchard a "10 out of 10"
How did Maura and Curtis meet?
Fans of Love Island will know that Curtis actually pursued Maura before meeting the Irish model in person.
During the dating show, the dancer confessed he had sent the sassy beauty a DM on Instagram before jetting off to Mallorca.
According to The Sun, Curtis had messaged Maura with the words "you're stunning".
However the Dancing on Ice contestant has since admitted she didn't reply, never saw the message and doesn't ever reply to men on social media.
A source close to Curtis told the publication: "Curtis was taken with Maura’s beauty so couldn’t resist sending her a cheeky message.
"He was embarrassed that she ignored him as he doesn’t often slide into girls’ DMs."
