The wait is over - after months of speculation, the new host of Love Island has been unveiled as Maya Jama.
Replacing outgoing presenter Laura Whitmore, Maya, 28, will take over when the show returns to screens from South Africa in 2023.
"I've always been such a massive Love Island fan and I'm so excited to be hosting one of the nation's favourite shows!" she raved of her new jo.
"I can't wait to get into the Villa to meet all of the Islanders."
The presenter has been on the scene for years and boasts 2.4 million followers on Instagram, but some mainstream viewers know little about the Londoner.
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From her jet-set lifestyle and famous exes - including the UK's biggest rapper Stormzy - to how she became a millionaire at 24 after her humble beginnings, the TV star's journey reads like a fairy tale of rags to riches.
Let's take a glimpse into Maya's fascinating life...
The glam...
The former Radio 1 presenter is regularly seen flying out for sunny breaks with pals across the globe, often in First Class or by private jet.
In July, Maya took a luxury private jet that had been sent to collect her from London by her NBA player ex-boyfriend Ben Simmons.
She later posted snaps of herself to Instagram in which she was soaking up the sun in designer bikinis, including one worth £700, by the poolside at his LA mansion.
She also showed videos of herself on the private jet and captured the posts: "Out of office".
This followed her travelling in style to destination like Barbados, Dubai, Miami and Ibiza for girls’ trips where she and her friends stay in lavish private villas.
How she became a millionaire...
Maya is said to have made a fortune over the last few years thanks to her presenting jobs, modelling and fashion and beauty lines.
"Maya has been grafting for years, honing her craft, but this year she’s really come into her own," a source previously told The Sun.
The star has a Pretty Little Thing range, modelled for and worked with Kurt Geiger, Gap and Adidas - while starring in a JD Sports Christmas Campaign.
She's also modelled for Freya lingerie and her company MIJ & Co reportedly has £1.3 million in the bank.
She won the People's Choice Award for best dressed star in November 2019, which elevated her fashion status and has led to even more lucrative endorsements. In 2020 she also launched her own range of hydrating sheet masks, MIJ masks.
Her humble and difficult beginnings...
Maya soldiered through a tough upbringing, with her dad in and out of jail for violent crimes.
The TV star, who is of Somali and Swedish descent, grew up in Bristol and has credited her mother, Sadie, and her father's side of the family, with her success.
She said they supported her and her brother, Omar, through hardships and ensured their lives remained as normal as possible throughout.
"I did visit my dad in jail up until I was about 10,” she told The Guardian. "[However, I stopped when] I realised that I don't want to dedicate my time to visiting somebody who doesn't want to dedicate their time to staying out of jail."
Maya, who filmed a Channel 5 documentary in 2017, where she decided to reconnect with him also told the news outlet that the tough times made her "more determined to prove everybody else wrong".
She explained: “My upbringing was not very… I think, statistically, the things that happened to me, or the situation I was born into, I shouldn't have been where I am now."
Her life was riddled with tragedy...
Maya experienced heartache when she was just 16, when her boyfriend Rico Gordon was killed in a shooting.
She was on the phone to him at the time, when he was caught in the crossfire between two gangs.
"I went through a lot," she said. "With my boyfriend passing, it gave me a fearless approach. I felt like life was really short," she told Cosmopolitan UK.
"At 16 you think the world is a fairytale and it took me out of that. It made me even more determined... Statistically I should have gone off the rails then, and it feels like my career was the thing that saved that from happening. I had hope and there was something to look forward to."
Londoner Rico was visiting Maya in Bristol when he was shot. She later went on TV’s Crimewatch to appeal for witnesses, which led to two men being jailed for life for his murder.
Her rise to fame....
Maya moved to London from Bristol at 18 to pursue her media career. She landed a role as a presenter for JumpOff.TV.
She was so impressive she was snapped up by MTV and later hosted a travelogue called Maya's FIFA World Cup Cities during the 2014 World Cup.
In 2017 she became the youngest person ever to co-host the Mobo Awards and then joined Radio 1 and got her first lead presenter gig on MTV’s True Love Or True Lies.
She's since done guest hosting on shows such as Love Island and has landed her biggest gig yet as host of Simon Cowell's upcoming ITV game show, Walk The Line. She recently left Radio 1 to pursue other endeavours.
She revealed of the early days on the TTYA Talks podcast: “I was bumping trains. I used to get super dressed up and be like, 'Oh my God, I've forgotten my Oyster' and blag my way through the train station.
"I used to wear outfits and then take them back. I did all the tricks to make it appear like I had money. I had nothing so I was more determined to make it.
"Now I've just moved into my house. I'm the first person in my immediate family to own a house."
Her famous boyfriends...
Maya has been linked to several high profile men including Stormzy and rapper Drake, who mentioned her in one of his songs.
The star was in a relationship with NBA player Ben Simmons, who dated supermodel Kendall Jenner before moving on with Maya.
Rumours that Maya and Ben were an item started in May 2021 after the presenter posted a picture of herself wearing Ben's shorts, in what many believed, was in his kitchen.
They also exchanged love heart emojis on one of her Instagram posts.
Before Ben, she dated British grime star Stormzy, who she was first linked with in 2015 when she was 20.
The pair were seen as a power couple until their shock split in 2019 following rumours that Stormzy had cheated. He has since apologised for being unfaithful.
What do you think about Maya Jama as the new Love Island host? Share your thoughts in the comments section below...
