Maya Jama has responded to claims Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu was offered the Love Island presenting job BEFORE her.
The 28-year-old will host the upcoming winter series of the hit dating show, after Laura Whitmore stepped down from the role.
Ekin-Su, who won the 2022 series of the ITV series, said in a recent interview that she turned down the hosting gig because she’s too busy at the moment.
Speaking to POPSUGAR earlier this week, the 28-year-old said: “I did get offered. I would’ve loved to do it, but I can’t at the minute because of how busy I am. And I said I’m not ready for it.”
“I want proper training. I’ve done presenting before, but not to the level of Laura [Whitmore],” she explained.
Speaking about Maya, the Turkish actress said: “She’s funny, intelligent, smart, beautiful. ITV have made a good choice with picking her, I think.”
However, Ekin-Su’s claims have since been debunked by Love Island insiders – who claim she was never even in the running and that Maya was the first person considered.
A source told The Sun: “It’s not true. Maya was the first choice for host.”
According to the publication, Maya has liked a series of tweets that debunked Ekin-Su’s claim.
It comes after Laura Whitmore showed her support for Maya after she was announced as Love Island’s new host.
The Irish presenter commented on the ITV show’s official announcement: “Yes girl!! So delighted for you! You’re gonna be fab❤️xx”
Maya replied: “@thewhitmore ❤️❤️❤️thankyou chick.”
