Maya Jama Steps Host Role at Love Island After Three Years
Maya Jama is leaving Love Island after three years as host. The 32-year-old announced her exit on Instagram, saying it was time to try something new. ITV thanked her for her work, and the news follows her high-profile turn on Celebrity Traitors.
Presenter Maya Jama has announced she is stepping down as host of the ITV reality show Love Island after three years, in a post on Instagram. The 32-year-old said it was "time to throw myself into something new". Maya Jama steps host duties aside after nine series.
She posted the news alongside a highlights reel of her time on the programme.
What Jama said
"While my own Love Island journey has come to an end, I wish the show and the team all the success in the world, I'll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever," she wrote.
Jama said she started hosting at 28 and met "the most wonderful humans along the way" during the nine series. She added that she had loved every "slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show".
She also said she has always believed that to truly grow, "you have to take a leap every now and then".
ITV's response
An ITV spokesperson called her "a fantastic and much loved host" and thanked her for what she brought to the show over the past three years. The spokesperson wished her "every continued success".
Jama landed her biggest presenting job to date when she took over Love Island in 2023 from Laura Whitmore.
Why the timing stands out
The announcement follows her appearance as a contestant on Celebrity Traitors. She played as a traitor alongside actor Richard E Grant, YouTuber King Kenny and comedian James Acaster. Millions watched the final.
She did not win. One commentator said she still emerged as a winner of sorts, portraying herself as "less like the presenter of Love Island and more like a genuinely versatile television star".
The Times also speculated she could "get £1m per deal" on the back of that success.
Before that, she made her acting debut in the second series of Guy Ritchie's Netflix drama The Gentlemen, alongside Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.
The show she leaves
Love Island pairs contestants who complete tasks and keep swapping partners in the hope of finding love. It is one of the most popular reality shows in the UK.
It has also divided viewers. Some argue it is misogynistic, and others have raised concerns about contestant welfare. Ofcom, the UK media regulator, has previously received tens of thousands of complaints about the show, including over alleged misogynistic and bullying behavior by some contestants. The watchdog has described it as "emotionally charged" with "confrontational scenes" that can upset some viewers.
Career so far
Jama built her profile through radio, including a role on Rinse FM, before joining BBC Radio 1 in 2018. She hosted Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer and ITV2's Don't Hate the Playaz. In 2021 she took over BBC Three's Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star.
Born in Bristol, she moved to London at 16. She joined MTV in 2014 as a presenter on The Wrap Up and, in 2017, became the youngest person to host the MOBO Awards, alongside Marvin Humes.
