Maura Higgins Stuns in Sheer Gown at Glamour Women of the Year Awards with Laura Whitmore

Maura Higgins and Laura Whitmore turned heads as they led the stars at the 2025 Glamour Women Of The Year Awards in NYC on Tuesday. 

For the occasion, Love Island star Maura, 34, made a bold statement as she went braless in a semi-sheer black gown. 

The sizzling look featured a daring plunging neckline with a sheer long-sleeve bodice that flowed into a satin-back maxi skirt.

She completed the ensemble with delicate silver earrings, while her brunette locks were swept into a sleek up-do.

Meanwhile Laura, 40, looked glamorous in a long sleeve red gown with a racy side cut-out.

Also in attendance at the glamorous event were Tyla, Demi Moore, Rachel Zegler, and Jordyn Woods. 

Hosted by sisters Brooks Nader and Grace Ann Nader, the theme of the Glamour Awards is celebrating sisterhood – from the ones we’re born with to the ones we find along the way.

‘Every woman I know has a story of sisterhood,’ said Glamour global heal of editorial content Samantha Berry. ‘Of being lifted, seen, or celebrated by another woman. In 2025 this is more important than ever.’

Since 1999, Glamour has celebrated its initiative to honour ‘extraordinary and inspirational’ women from a variety of fields.

Past winners have included Pamela Anderson, Kim Cattrall, Naomi Campbell and Victoria Beckham.

However, this year, in a special Women of the Year feature, the UK edition has chosen nine transgender activists.

The honourees include a mix of relatively unknown models, actors and musicians, with the most famous face being Munroe Bergdorf – a controversial activist who once branded ‘all white people racist’ and said that the Suffragettes were ‘white supremacists’.

Last year’s winners included Bridgerton star Simone Ashley, The Little Mermaid actor Chloë Bailey, and Hollywood royalty Pamela Anderson.

As trans rights face an increasing threat in the UK, the magazine wishes to celebrate the community’s most ground-breaking voices.

Caroline Hooley, Commercial Lead at Glamour, said: ‘We’re so proud to be partnering with Simple, Tinder, and Parfums de Marly for this year’s Women of the Year celebration.

‘Each brand brings something unique to the event – from celebrating sisterhood, confidence and self-expression to creating unforgettable moments of connection.

‘Their support helps us honour incredible women in a way that feels both empowering and inspiring.’

Spending time across the pond, Maura’s outing comes after it was rumoured she is reportedly heading for Hollywood stardom after ‘impressing industry insiders’ with her acting debut in Irish comedy The Spin.

The star, who plays Rose in the feel-good road movie, received glowing feedback following a film screening at London’s Genesis Cinema earlier this month.

Directed by filmmaker Michael Head, the movie follows two music-obsessed friends on a frantic two-day road trip across Ireland, to save their record shop from closing.

Maura appears alongside Pussycat Dolls singer Kimberly Wyatt and actor Brencock O’Connor.

After the screening, a source told The Mirror: ‘Everyone was talking about Maura and how great she was. She can act and people were impressed.

‘There were a lot of important people from the film in that room and conversations were taking place about what she does next.’

It has been reported the conversations were with big US executives who were eager to find out Maura’s plans.

Meanwhile the Daily Mail recently revealed Maura has reignited her feud with Olivia Attwood with yet another copycat career move.

The pair’s rift first surfaced last year during Maura’s stint in the I’m A Celeb jungle, where she claimed to have scrubbed a toilet with an ex-boyfriend’s toothbrush for revenge, a story she had previously linked to her breakup with Curtis Pritchard.

Sources revealed last November that Maura, 34, was seen as trying to follow a ‘similar script’ to boost her appeal, mirroring Olivia’s path after she signed up for Love Island in 2017 following her split from Bradley Dack after he was unfaithful.

The tension between the two further escalated when they were both signed to the same PR agency, Dundas Communications, and the dynamic became awkward as they were lined up for similar jobs, prompting Olivia, who had worked with the agency first, to move on.

In a surprising turn, ten months after Olivia, 34, joined a new public relations agency, Align, which specialises in growing careers in America, Maura has now followed suit, signing with the same company.

Sources say the relationship between the former Love Island stars has never been worse, with some confusion over how history has repeated itself less than a year after the initial PR fallout.

A source revealed: ‘There were so many incidents last year that led friends to believe Maura is trying to emulate Olivia’s career.

‘From Love Island to I’m A Celeb and signing with the same agencies, there have been numerous parallels, which started to create friction.

‘In the end, Olivia left PR firm Dundas, even though she had been signed with them before Maura joined, because she wanted space to build her brand without any overlap.

‘Everyone is a bit irked now that Maura has once again followed Olivia by signing with PR Align, months after Olivia became one of their clients.

‘Tensions are now at an all-time high… there are hundreds of PR firms, but Maura and her team have chosen the same one Olivia works with, for the second time.’