TL;DR
- Maura Higgins and Ciara Miller join DWTS season 35 cast.
- Higgins is a reality star from Love Island.
- Miller has been open about her past relationships.
- Both stars are excited to showcase their dance skills.
- Fans are eager for the upcoming season.
Hold onto your sequins, folks! The ballroom is heating up as two fabulous stars are set to strut their stuff in the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. Yes, you heard it right! Maura Higgins, known for her dazzling presence on Love Island, and Ciara Miller, the reality queen from Summer House, are ready to take the dance floor by storm.
Announced at Hulu’s Get Real event in Beverly Hills, these two are the first cast members revealed for the highly anticipated season 35. If you thought last season was a rollercoaster of emotions, just wait until you see what these ladies bring to the table!
Maura Higgins shot to fame as a finalist on the fifth season of the British reality show Love Island in 2019. Since then, she’s been busy lighting up screens as a presenter for various Love Island spin-offs. Most recently, she was a runner-up on the fourth season of The Traitors, proving that she’s not just a pretty face but a fierce competitor.
Meanwhile, Ciara Miller, a former travel nurse turned model, joined the fifth season of Summer House in 2021, where she’s been navigating the ups and downs of reality TV life. Recently, she’s been in the spotlight due to her complicated romantic history with castmates Amanda Batula and West Wilson, who have confirmed their relationship. Talk about a love triangle!
In a candid interview with Glamour, Miller expressed the challenges of dealing with public heartbreak. “It’s one thing to experience hurt behind closed doors,” she said. “To experience it so publicly is like another layer, and then to have to see what you thought was your life still play out in season 10. It’s a major mindf—.” But don’t worry, she’s ready to pivot from heartbreak to high kicks as she gears up for Dancing with the Stars.
Miller is no stranger to the dance floor. In June 2025, she told Us Weekly that she would be open to competing on the show. “Yeah, why not? I mean, I grew up dancing,” she shared. “I did ballet for 10 years. Why not?” She’s got her eye on pro dancer Val Chmerkovskiy as her ideal partner, saying, “I want someone who is hard on me. Like, ‘You got to get this down.'” Sounds like she’s ready to work hard and bring her A-game!
As for Higgins, she’s also got some dance experience under her belt. She was a contestant on the British series Dancing on Ice in 2020 and has dabbled in Irish dancing as a child. She told The Hollywood Reporter that she and her Traitors co-star, pro dancer Mark Ballas, would often dance together during filming. “We had a lot of fun,” she said, adding that she’s excited about the possibility of joining the Dancing with the Stars family.
With both of these dynamic women in the mix, season 35 of Dancing with the Stars promises to be a dazzling spectacle filled with drama, dance, and maybe even a few surprises. So grab your popcorn and get ready to cheer on Maura and Ciara as they take the stage!