Love Island star Maura Higgins has shown her support for friend Molly-Mae Hague following her split from Tommy Fury.

Molly-Mae and Tommy, both 25, went public with their separation earlier this month, ending their relationship five years after they met on Love Island in 2019. Molly-Mae posted a photo of herself on Instagram this week, her first return to the platform since announcing her split from her boxer ex Tommy.

The image of Molly-Mae by a tranquil lakeside, at an undisclosed location, was captioned: "Thank you for being the best online friends I could’ve ever wished for."

Amid an outpouring of love in the comments in response to her gratitude towards her followers for their support, friend Maura Higgins added her own comment, saying: "LOVE & ADORE YOU," with a white heart emoji.

The 33-year-old reality star, who met Molly-Mae on Love Island, has recently opened up about her own split from boyfriend Bobby Holland Hanton. She had a whirlwind romance with the American stuntman, but it was revealed earlier this year that they had separated.

In a recent interview, she confirmed she had moved on from Bobby – who worked as Chris Hemsworth's stunt double – and mentioned that men have been messaging her on social media. "I’ve had Hollywood men slide into my DMs," she said. The US Aftersun host added: "But I’m not going to fly to Hollywood for a first date. They have to come to me!"

Meanwhile, Molly-Mae and Tommy Fury announced their separation in statements on Instagram just weeks ago, shortly after they celebrated their fifth anniversary together. The couple have a one-year-old daughter, Bambi.

Molly-Mae wrote in her statement: "Never in a million years did I ever think I’d have to write this. After five years together, I never imagined our story would end, especially not this way. I am extremely upset to announce that mine and Tommy’s relationship has come to an end. I will forever be grateful for the most important thing to me now and always, my beautiful daughter. Without us there would be no her; she will always be my priority.

"I just want to thank you all for the love you have shown us over the last five years. You have all been a part of our journey, and I feel it’s right to share this with you all. While I attempt to navigate the coming days and weeks, please kindly respect my privacy during this difficult time. I’ll be back when it feels right."

In his own statement, Tommy said: "I am heartbroken to share that Molly and I have decided to end our relationship. The past five years have led to us having our beautiful baby girl, Bambi, and I will be forever thankful to Molly for making me a dad. Bambi is our priority. Please respect our privacy, and our families’ privacy, as we navigate our way through this difficult time."