Maura Higgins "never realised" she is a feminist until she appeared on ‘Love Island’.
The 28-year-old reality star endeared herself to viewers during her time in the villa with her blunt honesty, and she didn’t consider trying to come across as a role model to other women.
She told Grazia magazine: "I never realised I was a feminist! I just stand up for myself, and I won’t let anyone talk s**t about me. And you know, I do talk about sex, but so do guys."
The ring girl hopes young women who tuned into the ITV2 dating show will learn from her example instead of "hiding away".
She said: "Stick up for yourself. Don’t let anyone walk all over you. Voice your opinion. There’s no point hiding away."
Maura – who’s dating dancer Curtis Pritchard after being paired up on the show – recently revealed she doesn’t care about social media trolls and rumours, and insisted the important thing is how "your loved ones" treat you.
She explained: "There’s so many people in the world that are afraid for people to have a bad opinion of them.
"You know what? Once your family and friends – your loved ones – love you and know you and care about your opinion, that’s all that matters."
Maura recently joined ‘This Morning’ as an agony aunt, and made her debut last week during the regular phone-in advice slot and the segment ‘Maura Than Meets the Eye’.
She previously said: "I’m getting flutters about joining ‘This Morning’. I can’t believe it. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.
"I’ve grown up watching Phillip [Schofield], Holly [Willoughby], Eamonn [Holmes], Ruth [Langsford] and the team. Mad to think I’m now part of that iconic family. Can’t wait to crack on."
Maura Higgins didn’t realise she’s a feminist until Love Island
