Maya Jama steps down as Love Island host after three years

By Daniel Okafor

Maya Jama, 32, announced on Instagram that she will step down as host of Love Island after three years. The television and radio presenter posted a highlights reel of her time on the reality programme.

Her Instagram post functions as a departure notice, not a contract announcement. Jama said it was “time to throw myself into something new”. She wrote: “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.”

Her announcement did not name a successor or describe what “something new” would be. That omission leaves the practical work with ITV.

Why is she leaving now?

The exit follows Jama’s stint on the BBC’s Celebrity Trautors, where she played a traitor (undetected until the finale). Her popularity after that series led The Times to speculate that she could “get £1m per deal”.

The £1m figure was speculation, not an announced contract. No such deal accompanied the Love Island announcement.

Jama’s route to the chair unfolded in stages. After Caroline Flack’s departure was confirmed in 2019, Jama was first touted as a potential host, but ITV gave the role to Laura Whitmore instead. Jama took over when Love Island returned for its ninth series in early 2023.

What did she bring to the show?

Jama thanked the fans and production team and called her time on the programme an “unforgettable time”. She said: “I started hosting the show aged 28 and during the nine incredible series met the most wonderful humans along the way. I’ve loved every slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show.”

Her account puts the programme’s familiar routines at the centre of a long run. The slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show recur across those nine series. She also said: “I’ve always believed that to truly grow, you have to take a leap every now and then.”

An ITV spokesperson said: “Maya has been a fantastic and much-loved host on Love Island – we thank her for everything she has brought to the show over the last three years and wish her every continued success.” The broadcaster’s farewell offers praise without announcing a successor or timetable.

What shaped Jama before Love Island?

Jama moved to London at 16 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Her broadcasting began with co-hosting Trending Live on 4Music and Cannonball on ITV, before she moved to presenting her BBC Radio 1 show on Fridays and Saturdays.

At 23, she became the youngest person to co-host the Mobo awards on Channel 5 in 2017. Marvin Humes, the JLS star turned presenter, shared the presenting duties. That path, from early co-hosting to radio and an awards ceremony, supplied a broad broadcast base before Love Island.

Who replaces Jama?

The announcement leaves the succession open. Jama’s departure removes a presenter who entered at 28 and says she met “the most wonderful humans” across nine series.

The departure itself is confirmed. Her next project remains undefined, while for ITV, the immediate task is a succession announcement that Jama’s own departing post did not supply to viewers.