SHE’S a Vogue cover star and the face of Dolce & Gabbana, but that won’t stop Maya Jama shopping in Primark.
Since taking over as Love Island host at the start of 2023, the 29-year-old has signed a string of big-money brand deals and rubbed shoulders with A-listers.
But chatting to The Sun at the Majorcan dating villa ahead of the new series launch on Monday, Maya said: “Do I still shop in Primark? I shop wherever I wanna shop!
“If you want pants, socks, whatever, I’ll go on the high street, definitely.
“I don’t feel like you should ever be too good to shop anywhere.
“I get away with it because most of the time people just say, ‘You look like Maya Jama’ — they don’t think it’s me.
“It’s when I open my mouth that they’re then like, ‘It is you!’.”
This is the kind of relatability that has made Maya one of ITV’s most-loved presenters.
And on last year’s All Stars version of Love Island, she delighted fans by opening up about her own recoupling, when she invited her on/off boyfriend, rapper Stormzy, 30, to the finale in South Africa.
She told two castmates who once dated: “I can relate, I had a lot of people saying I should get back with my ex, and sometimes it is just not what you’re ready for.
“He is over there — so it worked out in the end.”
‘Sexy and classy’
Maya and Stormzy had split in 2019, with Maya then briefly getting engaged to Australian basketball player Ben Simmons, 27.
But she and Stormzy found their way back to each other in October last year. Now she has revealed rekindling their love has helped her relate to the Islanders.
She said: “I’m a similar age to them, so I understand.
“We’ve all been through some experiences like that, so I feel like we have a bond.
“It’s nice if you can relate to them on a specific situation just to make them feel a bit more like, hey, we’re all in it.”
Having long kept their relationship behind closed doors, it seems Maya and the rapper are now ready to share a little of their love with the world.
I don’t feel like you should ever be too good to shop anywhere
Maya Jama
Stormzy recently said he intends to join Maya in Majorca a number of times this summer.
And she posted a screenshot of a text conversation where he reacted to one of her jaw-dropping gowns, declaring it “world class” and “sexy and classy simultaneously”.
Blushing, Maya told The Sun: “Ahh, he’s cute with his words of encouragement. He came out during South Africa and was so excited to see everything.”
About her enviable dresses, including the one she was wearing, she added: “I don’t look like this every day, this is the glam team.
“I’ve got ten outfits currently but we just sense the vibe and we do think, is this going to be see-through, how is this going to look when I’m walking with spotlights.
“There is a checklist. I have to be able to walk in it, because sometimes amazing dresses make you like a mermaid and you can’t. So you have to tick all those boxes. I love a black, sleek dress for dramatic moments.”
As she takes the helm for what will be her fourth series of Love Island, Maya has begun to think about what could come next.
In March she hosted the Brit Awards, which she declared was the final achievement left to tick off on her list of life goals. She is now eyeing a future behind the camera.
Maya said: “I feel like I need to set new goals because I have been so fortunate that all my childhood goals have been achieved now before I am 30.
“I am 30 this year and that is another milestone, but focus on your job first then plan the party after!”
Former Radio 1 DJ Maya somehow finds time for both.
Her Halloween parties have become legendary and she still keeps busy on the DJ circuit, too.
So surely the bash for her 30th will be something special?
She replied: “It’s pressure. When you’ve been doing parties every year it kind of feels like when you’re 30 it needs to be the biggest ever.
“It makes me feel like I should do the opposite and go on a little boat ride and do some yoga — but I doubt it!”
For now she will very much be focusing on work and has cleared her diary for Love Island.
While it is true that fewer viewers are now watching the programme live — with averages dropping from three million to one million in recent years — Love Island is still the biggest reality show of the past decade.
Since 2017, when it was added to ITV’s streaming platform, the show and its spin-offs have been watched two billion times.
It has also been the most-watched programme of the day for 16 to 34-year-olds nearly 400 times.
Pestered for gossip
It means Maya is constantly pestered for gossip — or for a chance to get on the show.
She said: “Sometimes when I’m out I’ll have people say, ‘Get me on Love Island!’, but I’m like, ‘I don’t make that choice, sorry, but you look great’.”
One person who can not be described as a fan, though, is King Charles.
Maya was caught on camera educating him on the show when she visited Buckingham Palace for a garden party this month.
She said: “I didn’t know they were recording that! I didn’t know there was audio. I thought I just had to look nice when I was talking to him and pay attention.
“He was friendly and had a giggle.”
If the King does tune in, he is in for a treat, according to executive producer Mike Spencer.
I need to set new goals because I have been so fortunate that all my childhood goals have been achieved
Maya Jama
He teased: “This could be the sexiest series yet. The casting team are like secret agents, they delve into contestants’ lives and know everything. And I know who is waiting to come in as bombshells and they are brilliant.
“Let’s talk after week one!”
Maya will be waiting with bated breath, too.
She added: “I never want to know anything because I want to have the same experiences as the viewer.
“Even when I have to send someone home, I don’t want to know until the last minute so it can be a genuine reaction.”
- Love Island launches on Monday at 9pm on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX.
PRIVATE ROOM ‘CHAOS’
THE usual rulebook for the villa’s sexy Hideaway has been thrown out the window.
This series, the breakout room is open to anyone, at any time, so long as they are NOT in a couple.
Executive producer Mike Spencer said: “It’s now ‘no invite needed’ and now you shouldn’t be in a couple to go in there.
“If you were in a couple, you could technically go in with someone else. It’s going to be chaos!”
In another new development, the Islanders have been invited to vote in the General Election by proxy before entering the villa.
It is the first time ITV has allowed a current event to intrude on the action since they showed England play in the 2021 final of the Euros.
And in even more news for fans, ITV yesterday confirmed Love Island All Stars will return for a second series in 2025.