Maura Higgins Knows Exactly Who She Wants As Her DWTS Partner (And I Couldn't Agree More)

Dancing With The Stars is returning to the 2026 TV schedule in a big way, with Season 35 bringing a trending reality star to the ballroom. Love Island UK's Maura Higgins debuted in front of an American audience on the latest season of The Traitors, so it's only fitting she'd want former co-star Mark Ballas as her pro for the season.

Ballas was the first DWTS pro to appear on The Traitors, and Higgins' first choice as her pro when Season 35 kicks off in the Fall. Bustle learned as much when talking to her about her casting, as one of the first celebrities announced:

Mark would be perfect, as he was duped along with the rest of The Traitors cast after Rob Rausch successfully won the game as a Traitor from the very start. Maura was right next to him at the end, and successfully managed to guilt him into buying her an expensive Birkin bag after lying to her so many times.

While I can't remember any standout moments between Mark Ballas and Maura Higgins on The Traitors, the latter confirmed they had a close relationship during the game. Maybe not as close as Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were, but listening to Higgins, they weren't that far off:

Maura was notable on The Traitors for making it all the way to the final, despite never having seen a single episode of the series. Of course, the only people who often do that in the Peacock series are either people who are really good at manipulation, or have no clue what's going on, and I'll just leave the reader to draw their own conclusions as to which category I think she fell in.

When asked if having Mark Ballas as a partner on Dancing With The Stars would give her an advantage over other competitors, Maura Higgins didn't think so. She said she'll still have to figure out how to do the hardest part of the show, learn how to dance:

Higgins shouldn't sweat that part of the competition too much, as Andy Richter proved last season, dancing is secondary to being liked by the audience. Being popular can go a long way on Dancing With The Stars, though there does come a point where even the popular stars have to get some good scores to survive.

As far as partners go, however, Mark Ballas is a great choice. He's won DWTS three times and been in the finals many other times. His last win was in Season 31, in which he and partner Charli D'Amelio practically waltzed home with the trophy all season. We'll see who Maura Higgins ultimately ends up with, but I have a feeling she's going to get Mark.

Catch Higgins and Ciara Miller on Season 35 of Dancing With The Stars when it premieres on ABC and Disney+ in the fall. I can't wait to see what other celebrities are announced, and which pros get paired with them.