Maya Jama believes her experience of being blindsided in love could be perfect training for The Celebrity Traitors. The Love Island host, 31, admits she is better at spotting lies than telling them, saying she has "definitely been blindsided before" and reckons she may be able to catch someone out again.
She said: "I'm better at spotting them, although I've definitely been blindsided before. I think it's much easier when you know someone well. You notice when they're acting differently."
Now she faces a castle full of famous faces all trying to hide when they are acting differently.
Past relationships in the spotlight
Maya's own love life has previously played out in the spotlight, including her on-off romance with rapper Stormzy. The pair split in 2019 amid speculation about infidelity, which Stormzy denied, but later admitted his behaviour towards Maya had been "a big disrespect" and "very inconsiderate".
Maya has since had high-profile relationships including her romance with footballer Rúben Dias, which ended before she travelled to Scotland to film The Celebrity Traitors earlier this year.
No fake persona in the castle
But the presenter insists she will not be bringing any fake persona into the castle. She said: "If I try too hard or start pretending to be someone I'm not, I'll probably catch myself out. Especially if I end up being a Traitor. I think just being myself is probably my best strategy."
Her family and friends have already warned her that keeping a straight face could be her biggest problem. Maya said her mum and best friend were laughing when she told them about the show because they could not picture her in such a serious environment.
She added: "They kept saying, 'If someone starts interrogating you, you'll just start giggling!' They're probably right. I'm not naturally very serious, and obviously this is a very serious game. It'll be interesting to see whether I can keep a straight face."
An oversharer's weakness
Maya's big problem is that she is an "oversharer". She said: "My biggest strength is probably that I get on with people quite easily. My biggest weakness is probably the same thing – I can be a bit too open. I'm definitely an oversharer, and in this game you probably need to keep a few things to yourself."
The Celebrity Traitors starts on Thursday 1st October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
