Maura Higgins and Pete Wicks are 'totally smitten and could be the next big power couple'

With Maura Higgins and Pete Wicks set to be reunited any day now, they’re being tipped as the next big power couple - and could dethrone Posh and Becks. While the former Love Islander and TOWIE reality star were tight-lipped about any relationship before their respective I’m A Celeb and Strictly Come Dancing stints, they’ve now dropped more than a couple of hints that there’s more to it than a platonic friendship.

Maura, 34, spilled some juicy details to her jungle campmate GK Barry last week, confirming she and the one-time TOWIE lothario were caught with their "tongues down each other’s necks” but said she wanted to keep the details private because "'you don’t know where it’s gonna go". Before that, when Reverend Richard Coles quizzed her on whether she and her mystery man - who she confirmed was someone they'd know - were exclusive, a slightly red-faced Maura said she wasn't sure and that she "doesn't know the rules" and was still officially single.

The loosening-up hasn't been all one-sided though. Pete, 36, has also dropped a number of clues on social media that he's all-in for Maura. As well as posting a meme telling his 1.8million Instagram followers to vote for her to become Queen of the Jungle, he was also one of the first to post a comment (three applause emojis) on a call for votes on Maura's own account.

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But as they prepare to be reunited back in London, where they enjoyed a string of dates before Maura jetted off to Oz, a source tells OK! they’ve got every chance of creating something brilliant. “They’ve got it all, they’ve got what it takes to be the next big power couple, the next Posh and Becks,” our source said. “There’s nothing showmance or forced about this at all. They are totally smitten with each other and those feelings are very genuine."

They continued: "It's understandable that Maura was given a few words of warning about Pete’s past, but she’s headstrong and she can make own mind up, and she doesn’t take any nonsense, she knows what she’s doing.

“And Pete has fallen for her completely, he can’t stop thinking about her. They adore each other and everyone who knows them can see how happy they make each other.”

While friends of the pair initially downplayed rumours of a romance - which emerged after they were spotted kissing outside a London hotel back in August - there’s now more than enough evidence to back up the idea that they’re more than just friends.

Last week Maura chatted to her jungle campmate GK Barry, 25, about the interest in her love life, five years after she appeared on Love Island. Addressing the questions she’d been asked about her and Pete, Maura said: “I'm single. People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow.”

But with the end of Pete’s dancefloor experience in sight and Maura back home, our source says they can’t wait for things to progress and the time apart has made them realise just what they’ve found in each other.

“The more time they’ve spent apart, the more they’ve realised how they feel and the bond between them has strengthened,” they claimed. “It’s the ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ thing.

“Anything could’ve happened while they were apart, Maura could’ve found love in the jungle and the same for Pete on Strictly, but actually they’ve started talking about each more and it shows that they really do want to be together because it’s a genuine connection."

Despite rumours that Essex Pete was growing close to his professional dance partner, Jowita Przystał, he appeared to put those to bed when he called on his followers to vote for Maura to become Queen of the Jungle last week.

The reality star, whose relationship history includes Megan McKenna, Chloe Sims, and model Jacqui Ryland, reposted a funny meme of Maura from the official I’m A Celeb channel and wrote “I've been George of the Jungle but now it's time to vote for Maura of the Jungle” alongside it.

According to our source, both Maura and Pete’s friends and families are fully behind their budding romance, despite some initial reservations from Maura’s camp given Pete’s self-confessed reputation as something of a Casanova.

“They’ve both got 100% support from the people around them,” the source claimed. “Of course some of Maura’s friends and family were worried about his reputation at first, but she’s headstrong and does what she wants, and Pete’s crowd respect that.”

Our source says the pair’s winning combination of good looks, intelligence, witty sense of humour and now huge fan bases is a winning formula for them to rival the likes of Victoria and David Beckham, who have been celebrity royalty since getting together more than 25 years ago.

“Maura’s done so well in the jungle,” they said. “She’s funny, she’s honest, she’s smart, and people love that about her. And Pete was on the other biggest show in the UK, it’s their time to shine.”

Meanwhile, another source told us it isn't just Maura's love life that might get a boost once the show wraps: "TV execs are particularly excited at this moment... not only does she have the good looks, but she’s also got the personality to match."