After three years and nine series at the centre of ITV's Love Island, Maya Jama has chosen to step away, telling her audience in a short Instagram message that it was time to leap toward something new. Her decision arrives on the heels of a well-received turn on Celebrity Traitors and an acting debut in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, a sequence that suggests a performer outgrowing the frame she was given. It also lands in a programme that has long divided its audience, prized for its reach and questioned for its conduct, leaving the broadcaster to decide who will now hold its microphone.
Maya Jama Steps Down as Love Island Host After Three Years
"Time to throw myself into something new"
Mark
Why does a presenter leaving a reality show count as news?
Mimi
Love Island is one of the biggest reality shows in the UK, and the host is its public face. Maya Jama has held that job for three years and nine series, taking over from Laura Whitmore in 2023.
Mark
What did she say about why she's going?
Mimi
That it's time to throw herself into something new, and that to grow you have to take a leap now and then. She was warm about the show and the team.
Luke
Worth noting that's all she's said. She hasn't named a next project in what's reported here.
Mark
Is the Celebrity Traitors run connected?
Mimi
The timing is close. She was a traitor in the final, watched by millions, and she also made her acting debut in The Gentlemen.
Luke
Close timing isn't a stated cause. She didn't link the two, and the reporting doesn't either.
Mark
And the £1m figure?
Luke
That's the Times speculating she could get that per deal. It's one outlet's guess, not a contract or a confirmed number.
Mimi
The commentator's line about her seeming like a versatile television star is also one person's view, though it shows how her image shifted.
Mark
Does the controversy around the show play a part?
Luke
Ofcom complaints and welfare concerns are background in the coverage. Nothing here says they influenced her decision.
Mimi
What's confirmed is the departure and ITV's thanks. The successor is still to be announced.
Le Pouls
- A familiar face on Britain's most talked-about dating show has announced her departure, and the timing has set the tabloids speculating about her next move.
- Her exit follows a standout Celebrity Traitors run that drew millions to the final and sparked talk of a far larger earning power.
- ITV has offered warm public thanks, but the search for a successor now begins against a backdrop of complaints and debate over the series.
- The programme's future hosting line-up is uncertain, while Jama's own path points toward broader work beyond reality television.
After three years and nine series at the centre of ITV's Love Island, Maya Jama has chosen to step away, telling her audience in a short Instagram message that it was time to leap toward something new. Her decision arrives on the heels of a well-received turn on Celebrity Traitors and an acting debut in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, a sequence that suggests a performer outgrowing the frame she was given. It also lands in a programme that has long divided its audience, prized for its reach and questioned for its conduct, leaving the broadcaster to decide who will now hold its microphone.
Maya Jama has told her fans that she is leaving Love Island. The 32-year-old presenter announced the decision on Instagram, sharing a highlights reel from her years on the show and writing that it was time to throw herself into something new. She had hosted the ITV dating series for three years, beginning at 28, and she spoke with real affection about the people she met and the moments she loved, from the slow-motion walks to the fire pit conversations.
ITV responded with a spokesperson's statement calling her a fantastic and much loved host and thanking her for everything she had brought to the programme.
Her departure follows a strong run on Celebrity Traitors, where she competed alongside Richard E Grant, King Kenny and James Acaster and was watched by millions in the final. Though she did not win, commentators saw her as a versatile television star rather than simply a presenter, and some newspapers speculated about how much her next deals might be worth. Her acting debut in the second series of The Gentlemen had already hinted at the same wider ambitions.
Jama's road to this point began in Bristol, where she auditioned for Skins at 15, and continued through music television, radio and awards hosting, including becoming the youngest person to host the MOBO Awards. Now the open questions are who ITV will choose to take over the show, and where Jama will take the leap she has promised herself.
Maya Jama has told fans she is leaving Love Island. The 32-year-old presenter made the announcement on Instagram, posting a highlights reel of her time on the show and writing that it was "time to throw myself into something new." She has hosted the ITV dating series for three years.
In her message she said her own Love Island journey had come to an end, and that she wished the show and its team every success. She promised to be "cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever." She also looked back on the job with some affection, saying she began hosting at 28, met "the most wonderful humans" over nine series, and had loved every slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show. Her reasoning was brief: she has always believed that to truly grow, you have to take a leap every now and then.
ITV responded with a statement from a spokesperson, who called her a fantastic and much loved host. The broadcaster thanked her for everything she had brought to the programme over three years and wished her continued success.
The timing follows a strong run on Celebrity Traitors. Jama competed as a traitor alongside actor Richard E Grant, YouTuber King Kenny and comedian James Acaster, and was watched by millions in the final. She did not win, but one commentator said she had come out a winner of sorts, appearing "less like the presenter of Love Island and more like a genuinely versatile television star." The Times speculated that she could "get £1m per deal" on the back of that success.
That appearance came shortly after her acting debut in the second series of Guy Ritchie's Netflix drama The Gentlemen, where she appeared alongside Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.
Jama took over Love Island in 2023 from Laura Whitmore, in what was her biggest presenting job to that point. The show pairs contestants who complete tasks and keep swapping partners in the hope of finding love. It is among the most popular reality programmes in the UK, but it has divided viewers. Some argue it is misogynistic, and others have raised concerns about contestant welfare. Ofcom has received tens of thousands of complaints about the series, including over alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants, and has described it as "emotionally charged" with "confrontational scenes" that can upset some viewers.
Her path to the role began in Bristol, where at 15 she auditioned for Skins and reached the final stage for a part in the show that launched Daniel Kaluuya and Dev Patel. At 16 she moved to London to pursue entertainment work. She presented a weekly music video countdown for JumpOff TV, then joined MTV in 2014 on The Wrap Up. She built her profile in radio, including at Rinse FM, and joined BBC Radio 1 in 2018. In 2017 she became the youngest person to host the MOBO Awards, alongside Marvin Humes. Television credits followed, among them Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer, ITV2's Don't Hate the Playaz, and BBC Three's Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star from 2021.
What comes next is open on two fronts: who ITV will choose to host the next series, and what Jama does with the leap she says she wants to take.
Citations marquantes
While my own Love Island journey has come to an end, I'll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever.— Maya Jama, on Instagram
Maya has been a fantastic and much loved host on Love Island.— ITV spokesperson
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