Maya Jama will host the upcoming summer series of Love Island.
The 28-year-old took over from Laura Whitmore as the show’s host, making her debut during the winter series back in January.
Here’s everything you need to know about the presenter:
Maya was born in Bristol on August 14, 1994.
She is of Somali descent on her father’s side and Swedish descent on her mother’s side.
Maya’s father was in prison for most of her childhood for violence-related crimes such as pub brawls and fights, and she decided to stop visiting him in jail at the age of 12.
In an interview with The Guardian in 2020, she explained: “I realised that I don’t want to dedicate my time to visiting somebody who doesn’t want to dedicate their time to staying out of jail. I didn’t speak to him again after that.
In 2012, Maya moved to London to pursue a career in acting, presenting and modelling.
She joined MTV as a presenter for The Wrap Up in 2014, and also hosted Maya’s FIFA World Cup Cities for Copa9 that year.
Maya met Stormzy at Red Bull Culture Clash in late 2014, and the pair started dating shortly afterwards.
The former couple split in August 2019 after four years together – with Stormzy later apologising for “publicly disrespecting” his ex.
In 2017, Maya hosted the pre-show for the Brit Awards, as well as a Facebook live stream from the red carpet. That same year, she co-presented the Saturday night game show Cannonball on ITV, and also landed a role as a guest panellist on Loose Women.
In November 2017, the then 23-year-old became the youngest person to co-host the MOBO Awards on Channel 5 with fellow presenter Marvin Humes.
In 2018, Maya co-presented the first series of Channel 4’s The Circle, as well as Stand Up to Cancer. She also became the team captain on ITV2 rap panel show Don’t Hate the Playaz in 2018.
The following year, she appeared on A League of Their Own Road Trip alongside comedian Tom Davis. Maya also appeared on Channel 4’s The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2019 and 2020.
The 28-year-old presented BBC One’s Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer in 2020, and presented the station’s New Year’s Eve programme later that year.
Maya became the presenter for BBC’s Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star in 2021, taking over from Stacey Dooley.
In February 2021, Maya appeared as a celebrity guest judge during the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Later that year, she hosted Simon Cowell’s musical game show ‘Walk The Line’.
Maya was romantically linked to NBA star Ben Simmons in June 2021, after they were spotted on a night out at Sexy Fish in London’s Mayfair.
The Brooklyn Nets player proposed to Maya during Christmas 2021, after just seven months of dating.
But in September 2022, The NY Post reported that the British presenter and the Australian basketball star, 26, officially called off their engagement.
Maya and Devin never publicly addressed their split, but Maya recently confirmed she is single.
Alongside her presenting work, Maya has her own skincare range, and has landed numerous brand deals with the likes of Coca Cola.
The 28-year-old is also planning to launch her own range of booze through the name Cling Cling, which she has trademarked.
According to her latest accounts, Maya is now a multi-millionaire. Last September, The Sun revealed the presenter has racked up a fortune of £2.5 million, and that was before she landed the Love Island gig.
The new season of Love Island starts on Monday, June 5 at 9pm on ITV and Virgin Media Two.
