Maura Higgins saunters into the studio with one regret: that she didn’t have the Jean Paul Gaultier trench coat-gown she’s currently wearing while filming Traitors in Scotland last year.
“I’m fuming I didn’t have it for the castle,” she says, her hazel eyes wide beneath the black lace veil of her pillbox hat. “It’s very Traitors, isn’t it? It would have been so great.”
Higgins, 35, is all glammed up for a day of press for the Peacock game show, which sees 23 celebrities—from reality TV stars like Higgins to former athletes to the matriarch of the Kelce brood—competing in a game of lies, manipulation, and backstabbing.
The production, based on the British show of the same name, takes place over a few weeks on the sprawling grounds of a castle in the Scottish Highlands. While some contestants are deeply invested in strategy, forming alliances, planting rumors, and scrutinizing each other’s every move, others, like Higgins, are just trying to have a good time. And to show off their outfits.
“When people are getting really intense in the game, I’m like, ‘Oh guys, it’s just a game,’” says Higgins. “All I was thinking about was ‘Well, nobody murder me because I want to wear my outfit tomorrow.’ That was me.”
Since appearing on the fifth season of Love Island UK, where she finished fourth, Higgins has made the transition from one-time reality star to full-blown celebrity. In addition to a hosting gig for Love Island’s Aftersun, she’s also appeared in the British and Irish press as a correspondent, competed on several reality TV shows, and become a fixture on red carpets. (Her Golden Globes look, for example, was one of the most-talked about of the night.)
Her appearance on the US rather than the UK edition of Traitors proves just how far her star has risen over the past few years as she attempts to court a global audience. Her connection to the States doesn’t end there, either—at least if you believe the rumors that she’s dating her Traitors costar Rob Rausch, a Love Island US competitor who originally hails from Alabama.
So, what’s really going on between the two? Glamour sat down with Higgins to talk all things Traitors, fashion, and yes, Rob.
Glamour: Are you watching the edited version of the show for the first time along with everyone else?
Maura Higgins: Yes. And you know what’s so weird? Because we filmed it so long ago, every episode that comes out, I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know what happens in this.” I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, that’s just the way my brain works.
How would you describe your time on Traitors?
I actually found it quite tough, only because I never watched the show. I probably should have. I think that’s a regret of mine. But my brain before filming it was kind of like, “Well, I’ve never watched any other shows I’ve done before doing them, and it’s always done me good.” So, yeah, I went in there very blind, and I was learning the game as I went along.
In general I’m not a very serious character. I’m just chilled out. So when people are getting really intense in the game, I’m like, “Oh guys, it's just a game.” All I was thinking about was “Well, nobody murder me because I want to wear my outfit tomorrow.” That was me.
Your outfits were incredible. Did you have them all mapped out ahead of time?
Yes, they were all prepped. They were all altered weeks in advance. I mean, the US Traitors, they really go big with the fashion. I love dressing up. I love the little berets and the gloves and everything about it. I was obsessed. I think that’s probably my favorite part of the show. That and meeting everyone, because I’ve made such great friends from the show. I feel so lucky that we had such an incredible cast.
Did you have a favorite outfit from the show?
I did like my latex that I started with.
The green capelet?
Yeah. I really loved that. It was all latex. It took a while to get into that. I was so uncomfortable, but I would do anything for a look. I also loved my leopard print moment, but also there’s more outfits that come. They’re really good, but I don’t want to spoil that.
Speaking of fashion, I loved your look for the Golden Globes. How did that come together?
The day before the Globes I had no clue what I was wearing. I went into a fitting, and I tried maybe five dresses on, whichever ones I liked best. I just fell in love with that one by Marmar Halim. It was genuinely just as quick as that. I could not believe the moment it became.
Weirdly, I was very calm. I remember even my hairstylist in the room was like, "Are you nervous?" And I was like, “No, should I be?” He’s like, “A lot of people get nervous for these things.” And I said, “I don’t. I live for this.” I love red carpets. I love fashion. I love seeing everyone else’s outfits come together. I loved every inch of it.
Was it heavy? Because it was big.
No. It was really light. It was probably the most comfortable I’ve ever been on a red carpet.
Back to the show—who would you say is your closest ally in real life, off the show?
There are so many—I’d say Lisa Rinna. Keep in mind, I never watched any of the shows that any of these people were on. So I didn’t know of anyone. I didn’t know who Lisa Rinna was.
So when I finished filming and it was in the press, my friends were going, “You were in there with this person and this.” And I was like, “How do you know?” I’d never watched Survivor. I’d never watched Big Brother or Housewives. But I really bonded with Lisa Rinna. I think she’s wild. She kind of reminds me a bit of me.
I was going to say, you both brought a lot of fashion every day.
Her looks, I’m sorry, she absolutely slayed. And then Mark Ballas, love him. Absolutely love him. Who else? Eric. I mean, there’s so many. Candiace, got on with her. Yeah, so many.
Did you have any downtime? Because it looked like everything was pretty quick, like back to back. Did you bond with them off camera?
We did have downtime. There is quite a lot of downtime. Obviously we cannot talk game chat, but we could talk about everything else. We could talk about our families, like everything else about us. That was kind of the opportunity where we really got to know one another.
In your opinion, who was the best player among the contestants, and who was the worst?
If I was asked this question before watching it, I would not know what to say. But now that I’m watching, I’m like, Lisa Rinna as a Traitor, and even Candiace—I think all the Traitors are doing a fantastic job. I cannot believe what I’m seeing on the screen.
The worst? I would probably say me because I had not a clue what I was doing, but I was walking around the castle going, “God, I’m good at this game.” Genuinely just having a laugh. I think at one stage I turned around to someone and said, “I’m going to murder you tonight.” People take things so literally. I think it was to Natalie. I looked at her face and was like, “I’m going to murder you tonight.” I’m just such a joker, and that could have really screwed up everything for me. I just don’t think of things like that.
I mean, Michael probably as well because he was a Faithful, but he was a very bad Faithful. He was causing a lot of distraction.
The fifth episode where Michael was banished was crazy. It seemed like regardless of what his gameplay was, people were over his energy.
It was a lot, and it did cause a lot of distraction. So, yeah, he had to go.
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I did really enjoy during the round table when Rob said to Michael, “commiserating” does not mean what you think it means.
Literally, he got so pissed off. He was so fuming. And I like that because I think that was the first time we saw him really snap. He has it in him.
Speaking of Rob, you both came from Love Island. Did you have any familiarity with him beforehand?
Yes. I actually interviewed him. He was the only person that I knew of. But keep in mind, we only met on camera. I interviewed him on camera. We never spoke off camera. So I can’t say I knew him. He was just the familiar face in there that I probably needed. I think that’s why I gravitated towards him and wanted to have him as an alliance.
And he’s just so sweet. He’s the nicest guy ever. There’s so many things online and TikTok and whatever, and I personally don’t want to give away anything that’s happened on the show. All I can say is that there’s a lot of like, “Maura and Rob. Maura and Rob.”
The shipping is a little out of control.
Yeah, they’re really shipping us. All I can say is that if we did get together, you will see it on the show because you don’t spend time with each other outside of those filming hours. There’s always producers around and whatever. So, yeah, if it doesn’t happen on the show, it didn’t happen. But I am not breaking contract.
I want to ask you specifically about the challenge where he picked you up. What was going through your head at that moment?
I mean, he was basically saving my life. In that moment, I genuinely just couldn’t breathe from the exhaustion and all the running, and he was really helping me out. He helped me through the majority of the missions. I think the worst part of the show for me is the missions because they were intense. They were a lot. I’m more into my Pilates and yoga. I don’t really like all of that.
I hadn’t seen a ton of the show before this season, and I was surprised at how physically strenuous they were.
They are. It’s a lot. I gave them my best go, but only for him. I probably wouldn’t have finished any of them.
What would you say is more competitive, Love Island or Traitors?
Traitors.
Love Island, I don’t feel as competitive. When you’re in there, you kind of forget that this is a TV show. You forget about the prize at the end because you’re just living your life and trying to connect with people and make friends. So, I’d definitely say Traitors is more competitive.
People take the game very, very seriously, which really surprised me. But then, maybe that’s an American thing as well. I’m very Irish. Obviously if someone comes for me at the round table, like you see on the show, I don’t just sit there and take it. I do get very defensive, especially if I’m being accused in the wrong.
What did you find was the most difficult aspect of the show? Round tables? Missions? Being locked away in a castle?
The round tables were very intense. Sometimes the round table started and no one would speak. It would take very long. We’d all just sit there and be thinking, who’s going to talk?
How long are the round tables? Because on the show they’re edited down to like five minutes.
They’re quite long. There’s a lot more of it. They’re intense. Definitely the first one is the most scary, and then you kind of warm to it.
Another hard thing I feel is when everyone comes in at breakfast and then the last people come in and everyone’s going [mimes surprise]. Even as a faithful, you need to act that out even though—I’m not being a bitch, but like, I don’t care. I just care that I’m alive. So I really, me as me, don’t care to [make faces], but you have to do it because if you don’t, everyone else is going to look at you and go, “You didn’t look surprised that this person didn’t walk through the door.” And then there’s fingers pointed at you.
So you constantly have to act that out, and it was exhausting. All I cared about was, like, “I’m not dead, bitch. I get to wear my outfit.” That’s all that I was thinking. But it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun. It really is.
It feels a bit camp.
It is, and that’s what I love about it. I love how camp it is. I really enjoyed it.
You touched a bit on this already, but do you think being Irish in a house full of Americans was an advantage?
I think the biggest advantage I had was the fact that no one knew who I was. I think if people had watched my season of Love Island they would probably look at me and go, “You’re a Traitor.” I don’t know why. All my friends have said that to me before. They’re like, “If you did the UK version of Traitors, I think you’d be murdered because everyone would think you’re a Traitor.” And I get it. I think they would. So I think people not knowing me...
You flew under the radar.
Yeah. There was even a moment on the show where, I think it was Colton that said to me, “I’m not sure if you’re a Traitor.” And then he really looked at me and goes, “No offense, but you could never be a Traitor.” And he kind of laughed.
I remember I went into my interview room, and I was fuming about it. I was like, “Is he calling me dumb?” But I get it because people have probably seen me be quite ditzy and more fun and lighthearted, and I don’t take things very seriously. A majority of the things I say, I’m genuinely just having a joke, and that’s the Irish in me. I’m not a very serious person unless I’m in a full-blown argument. But, yeah, I think it was an advantage.
There does seem to be like this weird focus on intelligence, especially with the discourse around Michael and Ron. People keep saying, “Well, you’re not smart.” Do you think that there was like a little bit of a stereotyping going on with some of those comments?
You know what? When I see things online, my brain goes to, like, “Guys, this is a TV show. Come on, it’s not that deep and there’s so much other stuff you’re not seeing.”
Which obviously we’re not going to… We don’t want to spoil the show, but there’s a lot more that happened. It’s a TV show. It should be fun. The viewers should be just enjoying what they’re seeing. I just don’t think anything’s too deep. If there was no drama, you’d be bored. That’s the way I look at it. And we’re all mostly going off what one person says. You do get overwhelmed.
Like the “light steps” comment, when Ron thought you were the Traitor.
Yes, light footsteps. “You calling me skinny?” My next video is like literally what he said to me, and then I was like, “I’ll take it as a compliment.” And then I put in the sound, “So you think I’m skinny?”
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Do you watch all of the commentary as it’s happening? Because it sounds like you’re very engaged with the fandom and what people are saying.
I like to be engaged. I like to support my fellow contestants as well with everything they’re doing, and it’s just a lot of fun. It’s like a bubble. We’re all in a little bubble right now, and we’re having so much fun. We were with each other all day yesterday doing press back-to-back. It’s a long day, but we’re having so much fun, which makes it so enjoyable. I feel so lucky that I have no beef with anyone. And I think it’s probably because it’s a game.
It’s a just a game!
It’s not that deep, guys!
