Maura & Chris' Relationship Timeline Proves They Were Destined To Couple Up

Though she secretly had eyes for professional dancer Curtis Pritchard at the time, Maura Higgins saved Chris from leaving the villa (saving the show imo) in a very tense vote. They remained in a 'friendship couple' throughout their time on the series as Maura went on to bag Pritchard in a shocking twist. Chris went on to form a relationship with islander Harley Brash that was short-lived. Meanwhile, Maura and Chris remained great friends...

Maura made it to the Love Island final alongside Curtis. After the show, Maura dated the 24-year-old dancer until they called the relationship off in March this year. As their social media careers took off, so did their schedules and the two struggled to keep up especially during Maura's time on Dancing on Ice. Speaking to The Sun, Maura said that their conflicting schedules and age differences made their relationship difficult.

"I just felt like I'm 29 and I want somebody that I can see a future with. I'm not getting any younger," she said. "Curtis and I barely saw each other. In the beginning, it was very, very hard because I was so besotted with him, and we never got to see each other."

While there were rumours that Curtis cheated on Maura, the dancer recently denied it flat out. Speaking to The Sun in early November 2020, he said: "The answer is no, I did not cheat on Maura at all. There, I've answered it."

As the world went into self-isolation, these two amped up the banter on TikTok. There was no challenge left unaccepted and Chris put his now-famous kimono to great use. The funny videos seemed to help cement their friendship and Maura has featured heavily in Chris' popular skits.

Back in June, Chris got the rumour mill going when he posted that he "needed to find a Minnie" days after Maura posted that she was looking for a Mickey. On Instagram, Chris copied Maura's sultry snap complete with Mickey Mouse ears and a dressing gown (this man just loves loungewear). The photo received over 50,000 likes and many Love Island fans thought it was a real sign of a blossoming relationship — especially after Maura responded "Interesting." According to The Sun, the photo was taken "after Chris was snapped leaving Maura’s after spending the weekend together."

Maura and Chris appeared closer than ever over the summer. And fans were quick to join the dots. Yet, the pair were adamant that they were in a platonic relationship.

In June, Chris went on Vicky Pattison's The Secret To podcast and confirmed that he and Maura were just “super close mates.” Per The Sun, he said: “We care about each other, we look out for each other, we basically bully each other. “I don't think we ever say anything nice to each other's faces.”

Maura also shared similar sentiments during a Q&A back in August. "No, we're not dating," she said. "We are the best of friends. We just get on really well. We got on really well in villa, but not a lot of that was shown."

Nothing starts a social media beef quite like being unfollowed by one of your mates. Right? When Chris unfollowed Maura's ex Curtis on Instagram, many wondered whether it was something to do with Chris' feelings for Maura. Turns out, it was an act of solidarity following cheating rumours concerning Curtis and a fellow dancer.

Speaking out on The 6 '0 Clock Show, Chris explained: "I back Maura, I spend a lot of time with her, I'm very loyal to her she's literally like my best mate from the villa so it was kind of a no brainer."

Chris also alluded to the cheating rumours and said "From what we're seeing and from what I've been told... it sounded like he had actually done. So I unfollowed him to show a bit of loyalty to Maura and also I didn't even think it was that big of a deal."

Over the summer, the couple were papped returning to Chris' home back in August. Per The Sun, Maura was said to be carrying an overnight bag. They then spent the "evening ice skating and tenpin bowling at Queensway rink in Notting Hill, West ­London," reported the tabloid. Sounds like a great date to me.

Here's where it gets romantic (well, kinda). Before they went official, the couple took part in TikTok's popular 'Kiss Your Best Friend' challenge. The premise is pretty simple, and well... Chris sorta failed. In Dirty Dancing style, he held Maura above his head and brought her down to what should have been a kiss but, it was a no from Maura. "Cheers Tiktok...bloody fantastic idea. Probs shouldn’t have lunged in fairness," he posted with a video. But clearly it was a sign of things to come.

While holidaying in Dubai, Chris and Maura finally confirmed that they very are loved-up. We knew it!

They made it Instagram official with a sweet photo of themselves along with the caption "Turns out I fell in love with my best mate @maurahiggins." The photo has now received more than 600,000 likes and friends and fans have been gushing about the couple.

Love Island's Molly Mae wrote "Everything and more" in the comments, while fellow islander Danny Williams beamed "Feel like a proud dad who’s just watched his lad score a screamer for his footy team. Get in there son."