Maura Higgins Struggles with Public Backlash After Kiss Incident in Los Angeles

Maura Higgins is said to be struggling significantly with the continuous backlash she’s facing over her recent drunken kiss with Danny Jones.

The 34-year-old Love Island personality and the 38-year-old married McFly member have been dominating the news cycle following their public display of affection at Universal’s BRIT Awards afterparty.

Since the incident, both Maura and Danny have been subjected to intense criticism, particularly from those expressing outrage on behalf of Danny’s wife, Georgia, with whom he shares a decade-long marriage and a child.

Maura escaped the drama by flying across the pond for a work trip at the weekend and was snapped arriving at Los Angeles airport on Sunday.

However, it has now been reported that she is struggling to keep her mind on work and is ‘in a bad way’ due to the ‘relentless’ and ‘off the charts abuse’ she’s received since the news broke.

According to The Mirror, the TV presenter’s friends have rallied behind her and urged people to show restraint, as Maura’s had a ‘horrendous’ week and been flooded with ‘horrific’ trolling on her social media.

Maura Higgins is reportedly ‘really struggling’ with the ‘relentless’ backlash she has received following her drunken kiss with Danny Jones earlier this month

The Love Island star, 34, and the married McFly star, 38, have been in the headlines all week after being spotted kissing at Universal’s BRIT Awards afterparty (seen) 

In the wake of the scandal, both Maura and Danny have been hit by a wave of criticism, with many furious on behalf of Danny’s wife of 10 years and mother of his son, Georgia (seen)

One pal told the publication: ‘Maura is a tough character but the reaction to events of the last week has been utterly relentless, and it’s fair to say it’s taken its toll. She has found all of this very difficult to navigate. 

‘She appreciates she’s in the public eye and there is extra interest around her, but the abuse is off the charts, and people need to calm down. She is trying to treat things as business as usual, but it’s hard.’

MailOnline has contacted Maura’s representatives for comment. 

Maura broke her social media silence on Sunday to announce that she was flying to Los Angeles for work, sharing a snap from her first class plane seat with a glass of champagne at the ready and captioned: ‘Exciting shoot’.

It marked her first post since footage emerged of her drunken kiss with Danny last Saturday at Universal Music’s party at 180 House.

A second video released shows the pair reportedly drinking wine together until 6am at a Sony party at Nobu Hotel in Marylebone.

While back home, reports suggest that Danny’s wife Georgia has issued a final warning in crisis talks about their marriage amid fears that a third video could leak of the night.

A source told the The Mirror: ‘Everyone would understand why Danny and his wife have been quiet. They are likely working through various discussions from the first video that was released alone. With this second video, Danny needs to now speak out.

‘Danny’s career should be halted at this point and he should be big enough to now speak out to everyone and explain what has happened and take some accountability.

However, it has now been reported that she is struggling to keep her mind on work and is ‘in a bad way’ due to the ‘relentless’ and ‘off the charts abuse’ she’s received since the news broke

Maura broke her social media silence on Sunday to announce that she was flying to Los Angeles for work, sharing a snap from her first class plane seat with a glass of champagne at the ready and captioned: ‘Exciting shoot’ 

It marked her first post since footage emerged of her drunken kiss with Danny last Saturday at Universal Music’s party at 180 House (pictured at party)

‘This is unfair on his wife, who seems to have put the family and their marriage first. Who knows if another video will emerge, but being honest is now the only way that this has a chance of resolving itself’.

Maura and Danny reportedly stayed up until 6am drinking wine after their ‘drunken kiss’ at a BRIT Awards afterparty.

It was claimed the pair then headed in separate taxis to a Sony party at Nobu Hotel in Marylebone, where they allegedly ‘knocked back wine until 6am’.

An onlooker told The Sun: ‘Danny and Maura seemed to be enjoying their night of partying and had no plans to call it a night.

‘They were knocking back wine at the Nobu from 4am and seemed keen to carry on. They weren’t seen leaving before 6am.’ 

The publication also claimed that Maura and Danny were seen ‘chatting intimately and laughing’ as they continued the party.

Reports of Danny’s ‘drunken kiss’ with Maura has reportedly been a ‘slap in the face’ for his wife of over 10 years, Georgia.

In the wake of the scandal, she has apparently made a pledge about her marriage and her future with the rocker.

While back home, reports suggest that Danny’s wife Georgia has issued a final warning in crisis talks about their marriage amid fears that a third video could leak of the night (seen in September) 

Maura and Danny reportedly stayed up until 6am drinking wine after their ‘drunken kiss’ at a BRIT Awards afterparty (pictured at the bash)

A source told The Mirror: ‘She’s been an incredible partner to him so this feels very unfair. But Georgia is a strong woman, she won’t let it ruin what they have.’

The source went on to reveal that Danny and Maura regret their behaviour and have insisted that the ‘kiss’ was ‘innocent’.

They said: ‘Danny and Maura insist it was totally innocent and nothing meaningful.They got on really well in the jungle and it’s just foolish that they let themselves get caught up in something after a big party night, especially so publicly.’

Danny and his wife Georgia, a former Miss World, married in 2014 after meeting in 2009 at a Miss London event and share seven-year old son Cooper together.

Danny and Maura became friends after starring in the most recent series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and stayed connected on Instagram since the show ended last December.

Danny has even publicly shown his admiration for Maura by liking one of her sexy posts, which was shared in January, and pictured the influencer dressed in a black bra and leopard print dress. 

The image, captioned ‘Ravenous’ by the influencer, showed Maura flaunting her slim frame in the figure-hugging outfit, posing with her arm outstretched across a wooden table. 

Neither Georgia nor Danny have spoken in public since the ‘kiss’, with Georgia even cancelling a planned appearance at The Baby Show this weekend. 

Danny has even publicly shown his admiration for Maura by liking one of her sexy posts, which was shared in January, and pictured the influencer dressed in a black bra and leopard print dress (pictured)

Georgia’s podcast co-host Kelsey Parker was forced to cancel a public Q&A at the Baby Show in London on Saturday after Georgia pulled out of the event all together.

Georgia, who co-hosts the podcast Mum’s The Word with best friend Kelsey, cancelled her appearance in the aftermath of her husband Danny Jones’ ‘drunken kiss’.

As Kelsey attended the event alone, a source revealed to MailOnline that the talk finished 15 minutes early and saw the star avoid the Q&A part of the event. 

Confirming Georgia’s absence, an insider added: ‘Sitting down for a Q&A in front of a live audience is not what Georgia needs right now. She is mortified at how this has all played out and can’t help but feel humiliated.’