Maya Jama: who is the iconic Love Island host and does she have a boyfriend?

She took over Love Island hosting duties in 2023

maya jama

by Ben Pulsford |
Updated on

Not you whacking 'Who is Maya Jama?' into Google. That can't be. We can only assume you're as obsessed with the Love Island host as we are and just clicked on this article during some sort of Maya Jama deep digital dive that you feel like you deserve today. To be fair, we all need a bit of Jama in our lives, so if that's what you're doing, good for you.

The TV presenter – who recently finished hosting Love Island 2024 – is not only a style icon but she is relatable, down to earth, hosts mother f*cking Love Island and has dated Stormzy (several times). Celebs in 2024 don't get more celeb that Maya Jama, babes.

Maya
it always spells trouble when Maya arrives ©itv

Anyway, we realise we don't have long to capture your attention during this Maya deep-dive – after all, that Instagram grid of hers is but a couple of clicks away – so here's everything you need to know about the iconic Love Island host herself.

Unless you really did search, 'Who is Maya Jama?' into Google, in which case, we're not sure we can be friends.

Who is Maya Jama?

Maya is a TV presenter, radio DJ, model and influencer. At the beginning of 2023 she was announced as the new host of Love Island, taking over from Laura Whitmore.

Maya Jama
Maya Jama ©Stephen Lock/i-Images

When did Maya Jama take over as presenter of Love Island?

She took on hosting duties for winter Love Island in January 2023 and has been slow-mo strutting into the villa to TikTok jams ever since.

Speaking of the moment she learned she had gone the biggest job in telly, Maya revealed, “I was in New York. The first person I told was my best friend in Bristol. She swore loads... I celebrated with who I was around when I found out, then I celebrated when I got back to London. I feel like I'll celebrate more after it's done, then we can be like, 'Yay we did it!'"

Maya jama
Maya jama is back obv ©itv

How old is Maya Jama?

Maya was born 14 August 1994, which she has just turned 30 and where was our invite?

Where is Maya Jama from?

Born in Bristol, Maya moved to London when she was a teenager to pursue a career in media, which certainly worked out well.

She now resides in West London in what we imagine is a super swanky flat.

How tall is Maya Jama?

The presenter is 5ft8 and seeing as Maya is often in heels she probably hits 5ft11, perhaps even 6ft.

Is Maya Jama engaged?

Currently no, not unless she is being a secret squirrel about it. Maya was previously engaged to basketball player Ben Simmons – the ex-boyfriend of Kardashian sister Kendall Jenner – but the relationship ended in the summer of 2022.

Maya Jama and Ben Simmons in 2021
Maya Jama and Ben Simmons in 2021 ©Stephen Lock/i-Images

Are Maya Jama and Stormzy back together?

Well, where do we even begin with one? Maya dated the the rapper from 2015 to 2019 and when the couple broke up the world mourned the death of one of the UK's coolest couple. Fast forward to 2022 and rumours began to circulate that the couple were giving it another go, however, Maya soon crushed all our hopes and dreams by denying the claims. THEN, she stunned all of us.

The world (especially us) went wild when the pair reunited again August 2023, but they announced they'd split one again last month (July 2024).

stormzy and maya jama
stormzy and maya in 2014 together ©Getty Images

Confirming the news, they said in a joint statement, "Hey guys, we've been laughing whilst drafting this because we never, ever, in a million years thought we'd be the couple announcing a breakup, but for the sake of clarity and, more importantly, to allow us the space and grace that's needed for us both to be able to navigate this next bit of our lives with peace, we thought it might be best to.

"We fell madly in love in 2014, broke up in 2019, and then spent five years manoeuvring life apart. We decided to try for the final time in August 2023, and we've spent this past year trying our best to make it work; however, we recently decided to call it quits."

They went on to say, "We were 21 and 20 when we first met - both at the beginning of our careers - and spent five years growing together and then five years growing separately, so this final attempt required a whole lot of figuring out, relearning, and unlearning. We tried, and it didn't work, and that's okay.

"We still think the absolute world of each other, we still care and respect each other, we are still grateful for the time we've had together, and we are still friends and will always be friends (so if you see us having a lil catch-up at The Brits or something, don't cause a fuss, we are dawgs!)."

Is Maya Jama single?

At present, the Love Island star appears to be single.

What is Maya Jama famous for?

Besides being an absolute goddess? Maya shot to fame as a TV presenter in 2014 working for FIFA, from there Maya was on the up and has since hosted the pre-BRIT Awards party, MOBO Awards and The Circle.

She replaced Stacey Dooley as the presenter on BBC's Glow Up and of course Laura Whitmore for the new series of Love Island.

Maya jama
Maya jama is back obv ©itv

Radio wise, Maya has worked on Rinse FM and BBC Radio 1 and didn't stop with TV and radio. She launched a clothing line with PrettyLittleThing, is an ambassador for hair care brand Aussie and launched her own face and eye mask range called MIJ Masks.

Is Maya Jama producing a West End play?

Yep, she's co-producing one with – get ready – award-winning actor Idris Elba and rapper Little Simz. Maya announced that she was a co-producer for the West End transfer of new romance play, Shifters earlier this month (August 2024).

Shifters is a sizzling romantic stage play starring Heather Agyepong and Tosin Cole, star of Netflix’s hit new release Supacell and Doctor Who. And yes, you read that right, Love Island queen Maya is helping to produce it. Seriously, is there anything this icon can't do?

What is Maya Jama's Instagram?

You can follow Maya at @mayajama.

WATCH: Wait, what? Love Island's Nicole had her phone confiscated after getting in trouble with producers 😱

Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us