Love Island host Maya Jama has revealed she is ready to move on from presenting to pursue acting, her original passion. The 31-year-old, who is in a relationship with Manchester City footballer Ruben Dias, admitted she got disheartened after unsuccessful auditions as a teen but now feels the doors have reopened.
Jama's love for drama began early; she auditioned for Channel 4's Skins at age 15 and reached the final stages. After filming the second season of Netflix's The Gentlemen, her acting ambitions have been reignited. She described her dream role as playing a villain.
Jama naturally fell into presenting after starting on YouTube, moving to TV with shows like Cannonball, the MOBO Awards, The Circle, and Don't Hate the Playaz. Her big break came in 2022 when she replaced Laura Whitmore as host of Love Island.
She told the BBC: 'I always remember when I started being like how on Earth am I going to get on primetime TV as a girl from Bristol doing YouTube videos – it seemed like a massive reach.' Now, after presenting for so long, she feels ready for a change.
In The Gentlemen, Jama reportedly plays the glam wife of a friend of lead character Eddie Horniman, alongside Vinnie Jones and Ray Winstone. She soft-launched the role on Instagram last year, posting a cast list and script. A source told The Sun: 'Maya is over the moon to land a role in such a massive show with Guy Ritchie at the helm.'
