They were one of the more unlikely couples to emerge from last year’s Love Island, but Maura Higgins and Curtis Pritchard have announced they’ve split. 

Maura told her followers on Instagram that they’d called time on their relationship seven months after meeting on the ITV2 reality show. 

She said they had “tried to make it work but it wasn’t to be”.

Posting on her Stories, she wrote: “Curtis and I have made the decision to separate.

“We enjoyed a great experience from our time in the villa and want to thank everyone for supporting our relationship.

“There is no easy way to get through a break-up and no bad feeling on either side.

“We tried to make it work but it wasn’t to be and I wish Curtis nothing but the best for the future.”

Curtis and Maura came fourth in the summer final of the ITV2 dating show, which was won by Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea.

Runners up Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury are now the only couple still together from the fifth series of Love Island. 

Maura and Curtis memorably got together after the ballroom dancer split from Amy Hart, with his former flame leaving the villa unable to watch his romance with Maura blossom. 

Since leaving the villa, Maura and Curtis had teamed up to present red carpet coverage of January’s National Television Awards, while Maura has fronted segments on ITV’s This Morning and also competed on Dancing On Ice. 

Curtis is about to embark on a nationwide dance tour with his brother, Strictly Come Dancing professional AJ Pritchard.