Maura Higgins has revealed she has split up with boyfriend Chris Taylor admitting she “still loves him”.

The reality TV star broke the news to her heartbroken fans on Instagram insisting the couple are better off as friends.

The couple appeared on Love Island together but did not ‘couple up’ until after they left the villa.

Maura said: “It breaks my heart to even type this.

"But I wanted to let everyone know that myself and Chris have made the joint decision to end our relationship.

"There is no wrong doing on either side. We still love, care and respect each other deeply from the minute we met each other we've been very close friends and that will never change.

"There is no regret, life is about taking chances. We wanted to make this work, but we have realised we work better being friends.

"While I appreciate people may speculate or create false stories, this is the truth.”

She added: "I wish Chris nothing but the best and I will always be one of his biggest supporters. Thank you for all of the love and support."

Chris has also spoken out on the split.

He said: "Hey guys. After some very heartfelt conversations over the past few days, myself and Maura are very sad to announce that we have decided to part ways.

"We are both still on very good terms and this was a mutual decision where nobody had done anything wrong.

"We will remain friends, as we have been since day one and I will always be in Maura's corner and have her back.

"We are both going through a very tough time with this atm, so please take any speculation with a metric tonne of salt, cos this is the only truth (and as always, trolls can kindly f*** off.)

"Thank you for all the love and support you've given us it's truly appreciated."

Fans flocked to social media to express their sadness at the news.

One user tweeted: “Love is dead - Maura Higgins and Chris Taylor have split up.”

Another added: I’m so ashamed of what I’ve become but actually so gutted that Maura and Chris have split up:( love is for losers, chivalry is dead.”

“Chris and Maura breaking up has ruined my mood for the rest of the year,“ added another.

Chris and Maura appeared alongside each other in the 2019 series of Love Island on ITV2.

The pair were briefly coupled up as friends on the show before Maura dated Curtis Pritchard and Chris coupled up with Harley Brash.

The pair have split after six months together after confirming their relationship on social media in November 2020.