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Presenter Maya Jama has announced she is stepping down as the host of reality TV show Love Island after three years.
The 32-year-old wrote on Instagram alongside a highlights reel of her on the programme that it was “time to throw myself into something new”.
“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,” the TV and radio presenter said.
Jama’s announcement comes hot on the heels of an appearance as a contestant on Celebrity Traitors that won her praise and speculation in the Times that she could “get £1m per deal” thanks to her success.
Thanking fans and the production team on Love Island, she said she had an “unforgettable time” on the programme.
“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.
But she added: “I’ve always believed that to truly grow, you have to take a leap every now and then.”
Jama landed her biggest presenting role to date as the host of the reality TV show in 2023, taking over from Laura Whitmore.
The programme couples contestants together who then complete a range of tasks and keep swapping in the hope of meeting the love of their life.
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.”
Love Island is one of the most popular reality TV shows in the UK but the series has polarised viewers, with some arguing the show is misogynistic and raising concerns about the welfare of contestants.
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Ofcom has previously received tens of thousands of complaints about Love Island including about alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour by some contestants.
The watchdog has previously described the show as “emotionally charged” with “confrontational scenes” that can upset some viewers.
Jama first built her profile through radio including a role on Rinse FM, before landing a presenting role on BBC Radio 1 in 2018.
She went on to present a string of television programmes, including Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer and ITV2’s Don’t Hate the Playaz, before taking over as host of BBC Three’s Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star in 2021.
The presenter was recently watched by millions in the Celebrity Traitors final, and competed as a traitor alongside actor Richard E Grant, Youtuber King Kenny and comedian James Acaster during the series.
One commentator at the time said that, despite not winning the show, she had emerged as a winner of sorts as she was able to portray herself as “less like the presenter of Love Island and more like a genuinely versatile television star”.
Her Celebrity Traitors appearance came after she made her acting debut in the second series of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix drama The Gentlemen alongside Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.
Jama had auditioned for the cult Channel 4 series Skins, set in her hometown of Bristol, when she was 15, reaching the final stage for a role in the show that launched the careers of actors Daniel Kaluuya and Dev Patel.
She moved to London when she was 16 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
She began presenting a weekly music video countdown for production company JumpOff TV before joining MTV in 2014 as a presenter on The Wrap Up.
Jama became the youngest person to host the MOBO Awards, alongside Marvin Humes, in 2017.
