Love Island is back, with rising temperatures during the cold and long winter days. Not only has the ninth season brought a whole lot of new Islanders, but a presenter has debuted in the series – and it’s a familiar face. Here’s everything you need to know to find out who is Love Island’s 2023 host, Maya Jama.
It feels like yesterday when Ekin-Su and Davide walked together hand-in-hand with the hefty check of £50,000, as the latest winners of Love Island.
Moving forward into the new year, the popular ITV reality TV series has returned with a new line-up and also a new presenter. This comes after Laura Whitmore’s decision of stepping down as its presenter after two years.
Nonetheless, in the new season of Winter Love Island, a familiar face took over as its newest host.
Who is Maya Jama?
Maya Jama is of Somali and Swedish descent. Her popularity has turned her into one of the most well-known presenters in the United Kingdom over the past five years in the field.
There’s a lot to know about the presenter, as the 28-year-old shot to fame presenting the weekly music video countdown on JumpOff.TV. She also worked for Sky UK and TRACE Sports.
However, her big break came after bagging the role as a presenter on MTV’s The Wrap Up. Maya carried out presenting other popular shows, as well as hosting the 2017 Pre-Brit Awards Party and also Loose Women.
Before her big landing role as Love Island’s newest presenter, her most recent projects are Walk The Line and The Brits Are Coming.
Maya Jama’s list of famous exes includes singer Stormzy
Maya is considered one of the most well-loved celebrities in the United Kingdom. Known for her extrovert personality and perfect fashion style, she has caught the eyes of a few celebrities.
Her longest relationship has been with British rapper, Stormzy. The two began dating in 2016 when she was only 20 years old. However, after four years together, the two decided to part ways breaking the hearts of many who considered them as ‘couple goals’.
The Glow Up host got into a relationship with NBA star Ben Simons, with rumours of the two ready for the next step. Nonetheless, after a year and a half, they broke up.
Maya and Stormzy were seen together, with fans hoping the two would get back together like in the old days. Ahead of her debut in the Love Island series, Maya said to be “really single right now”.
Becoming Love Island’s newest presenter
Maya was on the ‘wanted’ list of celebrities to take on Laura Whitemore’s spot after announcing her departure from the reality series. Other fan candidates included former contestants Maura Higgins and Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
Laura decided to step down from her role as the host of Love Island came after her other schedules clashed with the requirements of the series and the new location. It was then announced Maya would be taking up her role.
Speaking about becoming its new presenter, she told Radio Times: “It was a no-brainer because I’m a massive fan of the show and I was like, ‘Yeah, OK… when does it start?”
“I have always been a big fan but I tried not to do too much research because you want to still be yourself don’t you? And ask the questions you want to know…” she added, “I’m just going to approach it how I’ve screamed at the telly for years.”
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