Maura Higgins jokes around in new ITV Cheltenham job after drunken BRITs kiss with Danny Jones

Maura Higgins has bagged a new job with ITV after appearing to share a drunken kiss with married McFly star, Danny Jones.

The I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! co-stars shocked fans when they locked lips at the BRIT Awards after party in London on March 1 after reportedly spending much of the evening together. Neither Danny, 38, or Maura, 34, have referenced the scandal. However, the former ring girl from Ireland has popped up on TV today, promoting ITV's Cheltenham Festival coverage.

Dressed to impressed in a smart tweed blazer with a cream polo neck, swishing her long pony tail in a pub, Maura tells fans they're "going to hear a lot of noise this week" as she launches into a promo for the races.

Manoeuvering her way around the boozer, rolling her eyes, she says: "Now, you're going to hear a lot of noise this week... Willy Mullins wins another, our girl Rachel does it again, the Irish dominate Cheltenham...blah blah blah!"

She continued: "We're gracious winners, not boastful. I'm not even going to mention Istabraq, Dawn Run, eh, Hurricane Fly!... Oh to hell with it, it's Cheltenham and we're going to win it all!"

The racing event is run by The Jockey Club and is Britain's third biggest sporting event in terms of attendance, worth an estimated £274 million to the local economy. Maura, who shared the clip on her Instagram page, stars in the advert alongside former Irish jockey, Rupert 'Ruby' Walsh, who makes a blink and you'll miss it appearance as one of the punters at the bar.

The Irish Love Island star jetted off to Los Angeles last week after her drunken kiss with Danny angered fans. Maura is said to be “in a bad way...and really struggling” according to pals who have rallied behind her in the wake of the scandal.

Friends of the reality star say that the last week has been “horrendous” as she has been deluged with “horrific” trolling on her social media.

Speaking to the Mirror, her pal said: “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.”

Danny, meanwhile, is yet to break his silence but his wife, Georgia, did share a snap of their seven-year-old son, Cooper, on Instagram today and was flooded with support.

Telling the mum-of-one they were thinking of her, one wrote: "Hope you're okay Georgia, you've got this xxx." Another said: "Everyone is in your corner you've got this much love" while a third pledged: "We're all rallied around you."

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .