Pop Culture

Maura Higgins Says She ‘Couldn’t Walk’ After Learning She Was Cast on ‘DWTS’

She hopes to dance to 'Traitor' by Olivia Rodrigo.

Maura Higgins is seen in Chelsea on March 02, 2026 in New York City.
Photo by TheStewartofNY/GC Images

On April 22, it was announced that Maura Higgins, who recently appeared on The Traitors, is going to be on the next season of Dancing with the Stars. The 35-year-old, who was originally known for her time on Love Island, has a huge following on social media with over four million Instagram followers.

When speaking with Bustle, Maura revealed how excited she was to get the call. “I was actually going through New York’s JFK Airport,” she said. “I froze in the middle of the airport while there were so many people going past. I was in tears. I was like, ‘Are you kidding?’”

She went on to say, “I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t speak. Dancing With the Stars was the only other show that I wanted to do as a contestant. After that, I’m probably done. Never say never, because I don’t want to be that person, but it’s the only other show on my vision board.”

When asked what songs she would like to dance to, she revealed, “I really want to dance to Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Traitor’ because it just makes sense. I also want to dance to ‘Die on This Hill’ by Sienna Spiro. Something about that song hits me deep.”

The Instagram announcement from Dancing with the Stars was captioned, “She went from looking for love to looking for who to trust, and now she's looking to win the Mirrorball.” Higgens commented on it saying, “I TINK IM VERY EXCITED.”

Mark Ballas, who appeared on the same season as The Traitors as her, commented, “I TINK this is gonna be AMAZING. CONGRATS friend.”

When asked about her relationship with Ballas, she said, “We did speak a lot about Dancing With the Stars in the castle, because I was telling him how much I wanted to do the show. When I got the news, I texted him, ‘I’m going to beg for you. I really want you to be my partner.’ He was like, ‘Let’s just pray. It has to happen.’ He knows that I will give it my all.”

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