LOVE Island’s Maura Higgins lookalike has told how she is flattered to be compared to the Irish beauty.
Musical theatre student Megan Forte Clarke, who is one of the contestant’s in this year’s show said: “I love Maura — what a compliment. She’s an icon.
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Megan Forte Clarke said she is flattered by comparisons to Maura Higgins
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Dublin-born Megan, 24, said: ‘I love Maura — what a compliment. She’s an icon’Credit: Instagram
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Maura, who is ten years older, appeared as a bombshell on the ITV dating show in 2019
“She is like the Queen of Ireland. So if people are comparing me to her, then cheers, love that, thank you.”
Dublin-born Megan, who is set to enter the ITV2 villa tomorrow, has drawn comparisons to Maura thanks to her Irish accent and glamorous brunette looks.
Megan, 24, expressed sympathy for Maura, who shot to fame after taking part in Love Island six years ago, after the star’s drunken kiss with married McFly guitarist Danny Jones at a Brit Awards after-party in London earlier this year.
Megan said: “We’ve all had a drunken kiss.”
Meanwhile, Megan, who calls herself the “modern day Bridget Jones”, said she has been single for nearly three years after her university boyfriend cheated on her.
She added: “We were on and off for about a year during my first year at university and I’ve been single since.
“We met at uni [The Brighton Academy] — musical theatre boys are never a good idea.”
Asked if it ended on good terms, she said: “No. No, God, no! He cheated on me quite a bit. The other girls were none the wiser.
“So I would never blame a girl in that sense, but I definitely confronted him.
“He felt my wrath. I didn’t really get any revenge. I think ignorance is bliss, so he was blocked. I haven’t spoken to him since.”
‘Hell and horror’
ITV are celebrating ten years of Love Island with a huge TV celebration featuring the show’s biggest stars
Of her recent dating life, she said: “It has been more than two years of hell and horror.
“I’ve been asked on a walk for a date. I’m like, ‘That’s brilliant, I love being a dog’.
“It is just never good and then they ghost you. So many frogs.”
But the boys of the villa will be pleased after Megan revealed she has stocked up on bikinis and sexy outfits for The Hideaway — the villa’s private area where Islanders can spend time together alone.
She said: “Yeah, I have shopped till I dropped. I feel like you can’t be too prepared with stuff like that.
“Better to be over prepared than underprepared.
“So I’ve got a lot of options for bikinis and night time.”
But she will be keeping things real by wearing her plastic retainer to bed after having braces during her university years.
She said: “That’s always humbling when you’re comfortable around a boy and you are clicking it out in the morning.”
But of wearing braces, she added: “I think a lot of boys actually quite liked it, which I was surprised by.”
‘I’ve had a little flirt’
Megan revealed that she has been given strict instructions by her mum to keep things PG in the villa.
She said: “My mum’s been like, ‘Meg, please do not have sex in the villa’. I don’t think I would anyway — too exposing.”
Megan, who currently works in telesales, said she has not had any office romances, but cannot resist charming her colleagues.
She revealed: “I’ve had a little flirt here and there because, you know, you have to make work life fun, but nothing has come of it.”
Last Christmas, the beauty starred as one of the ugly step-sisters in a Christmas pantomime of Cinderella in Tewkesbury, Gloucs.
She said: “To be fair, they were meant to be Kardashian-esque and ugly on the inside.
“So I got to wear fabulous costumes. I had a ball.”
Hopefully, in the villa, she will meet her own Prince Charming.
BRITISH Airways hostess Helena Ford has never had a boyfriend – as all of the young pilots fly short-haul.
The flight attendant , 29, from London, who does long-haul flights, said she has never had a romance with a colleague.
She said: “It’s the younger ones [pilots] who are on short-haul and the older ones on long-haul. So no, unfortunately, I haven’t come across any good-looking pilots.”
NEW HUNK’S SCRUMMY
IRISH rugby player Conor Phillips has revealed that he would love to meet a girl who looks like Maura Higgins in the villa.
The pro sportsman, 25, has been brought in to replace Kyle Ashman, 23, who was axed from the line-up after we revealed he was arrested on suspicion of a machete attack.
Speaking about his ideal woman, Conor, from Limerick, said: “Brunette, dark features, dark hair, dark eyes. Maura is very good looking so who wouldn’t say no to Maura, she is a very beautiful girl.”
Asked about meeting an Irish girl in the villa, he said: “I suppose it is a UK-based show so it will probably open the door to meeting more people from the UK.
“But if someone is from Ireland, great. I don’t really mind.”
And Conor revealed that he will have the upper hand over footballers in the villa – with the line-up including Farnham Town player Harry Cooksley, 30.
Of the main differences between rugby and football players, he said: “Size…and strength.”
Since being axed, Kyle has said: “I fully co-operated with this police investigation and made it very clear that I had no involvement in this incident.
“I am not a violent person and any suggestion otherwise is a mischaracterisation.”
Masked thugs stormed a wake in Stafford and hacked at a dad with a blade in February.
Ashman was one of two quizzed but released with no further action.
BEN IN STOLEN ID DRAMA
LOVE Island hunk Ben Holbrough had his identity hijacked – with his Instagram pictures used on a male escort website without his permission.
The taxi driver, 23, from Gloucester, finally managed to get the profile, which used a fake name, removed.
It features a topless picture of Ben in a swimming pool along with snaps of him in a suit at a racecourse.
A source said: “Ben was shocked to be told that a website he knew absolutely nothing about was using his images.
“He and some of his friends tried to have this profile removed. He was really upset to learn that someone was using his Instagram pictures, especially with many of them taken on his holidays.
“Ben explained the situation to the Love Island team during casting. It has been a really stressful time.”
A bio on the website read: “Hey ladies, I’m Lewis (London based). I believe that good company and a good connection is unbeaten.
“I’m an open minded and confident individual, who wants to turn them nerves into excitement. Whether it’s a sit-down meal, getting wine and dined at the end of a long week, going out and partying and everything in between – I’m here to make sure of a good time.”
Users were invited to “message for rates”, with “Lewis’s” statistics listed as 6ft 3in, aged 27 and based in London.
The “services” included: “Outcall, dinner/drinks date, day out, shopping trips, weekend away/holiday, go out nightclub/events and full body massage.”
It added: “I’m flexible and always up for listening to your ideas and what you enjoy doing…
“Please only message me on WhatsApp, you’ll always get a reply!
“Please note, female bookings only.”
