Sam Thompson breaks silence on Maura’s romance with best mate Pete Wicks – ‘can’t wait to welcome you into the family’

I'M A Celebrity... Unpacked co-host Sam Thompson has made a confession about Maura Higgins' romance with his best pal.

2023 King of the Jungle Sam, is best friends with Pete Wicks - the former TOWIE star that Maura is rumoured to be dating.

And now Sam has made a confession about Maura and Pete's romance, with him seemingly overjoyed that the pair will likely take their relationship to the next level now she is out of the jungle.

Maura, 34, was voted out of the jungle last night with fellow Irish campmate Barry McGuigan, with the duo appearing on Unpacked after their exit.

"Maura, who did you miss the most in there?" Sam Thompson pressed in the final few minutes of the show.

Maura then responded with: "I missed so many," before she was cut off.

"Just say Pete," Sam exclaimed, leaving Maura with her mouth wide open.

"I missed my mammy," Maura exclaimed, with Sam laughing and Barry also cracking up.

Maura then smirked and said: "Who are you on about?" in a coy way.

Sam then said: "I have been batting Joel off for days, being like 'I don't know who you're talking about'."

'I CAN'T WAIT TO WELCOME YOU INTO THE FAMILY'

Maura downed her glass of champagne as a way to exit the conversation, leaving Sam taken aback and confessing: "Maura, do you know what? I love ya.

"And I can't wait to welcome you into the family."

Maura's eyes went wide as she exclaimed: "Oh wow! Oh my God!"

"You have been absolutely brilliant," Sam then concluded as Maura covered her face with her hat.

Maura spoke about Pete, who she is romantically linked to, briefly while in the jungle,

She said "I dunno" when pressed about the exclusivity of their relationship by a fellow campmate.

Chatting to her campmates, including Rev Coles, Maura gushed: "It does [feel different this time], but then is it because we’ve known each other for a long time?"

'HE'S NOT AN A**HOLE'

She added: "He’s not an a**hole."

In another episode, Maura chatted about Pete again, but this time to podcaster GK Barry.

Maura said: "I get it in a sense because I know I was on a dating show, but it was five years ago."

Remaining tight-lipped about her relationship with Pete, she added: "You know more than me!

"No, I'm single. People can date and not be in a relationship and take things slow.

"What’s the point in getting them involved too soon, when you just don’t know where it’s gonna go, you know?"

Later, Maura weighed in with: "Well we’ve already been papped, tongues down each other’s necks and we had no idea," in reference to her and Pete.

She added: "The funniest part was I had a vape in one hand and a cigarette in the other, living my best life."

Maura's comments follow months of speculation about her relationship with Pete Wicks, as first revealed by The Sun.