Maya Jama and Stormzy have finally confirmed that their relationship is back on.
The Love Island presenter, 29, and British rapper Stormzy, 30, dated for four years before they split up in 2019.
But in August, fans of the pair put their investigative skills to work when they noticed that the background in each of their holiday pictures had a striking similarity and that they were in fact holidaying together in the same villa in Greece. The couple were then spotted by paparazzi holding holds.
On Saturday (7 October), Jama officially confirmed their relationship on Instagram, filming Stormzy – full name Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr – as he welcomed her home from a long work trip to Fiji.
Jama had been in the country making a Love Island spinoff called Love Island Games.
In the clip, Stormzy is seen excitedly holding up two handmade signs, one that reads “Maya Jama #1 fan” and another that appears to show a hand-drawn portrait of Jama wearing a red dress in her recent campaign for Dolce and Gabanna that was released last month.
Stormzy holds the signs in the air by the door to his car, waving them at Jama as she approaches him.
From behind the camera, Jama exclaims: “You are so cute! Thanks! Put it down now… I’m shy.”
Fans have been excited since the pair reportedly rekindled their relationship in August, with the couple leaving subtle hints that they are back in each other’s lives, such as when Stormzy’s voice could be heard in the background of Jama’s Instagram Story. However, Jama’s most recent post marks the first time they have made their relationship Instagram official themselves.
Stormzy excitedly greets Maya Jama after she returns from Fiji— (Instagram via @mayajama)
The former couple first met at the Red Bull Culture Clash festival in October 2014 and began dating the following January. Fans were devastated when the couple split in 2019, with many of them rooting for them to get back together despite the time that has passed.
Earlier this year, the presenter shared details about dating the “Vossi Bop” rapper at the beginning of their respective careers.
“We were so young when we met, just beginning our careers,” Jama told The Sunday Times in January. “I was starting at MTV. He’d not even released a single at that point. We were just little babies.”
Stormzy and Jama in 2017— (Getty Images)
Jama said that, at the time when Stormzy’s career was rapidly growing, she worked hard to be known as more than “Stormzy’s girlfriend”.
“I’m not naive to the fact that when you are a woman in the industry, most of the things that people want to talk about are your relationships,” she said. “It’s different for men. I’d seen that happen to other people.”
“I don’t think either of us knew it was going to be such a big thing,” she added. “We were just: we’re young and in love and we’re going to go for it and work really hard. We’re just together. We never really did red carpets. We didn’t do any of that stuff.”
Maya Jama and Stormzy attend the Glamour Women of The Year awards together in 2017— (Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Stormzy has previously admitted that his breakup with Jama showed him that he was still “just a boy”.
“I’d never experienced a break-up and the feelings that come with a breakup,” he said in a GQ interview last November. “And I never wanted to ever be in a position again where I felt what I was feeling. Because it showed me that I was a boy. And I do not want to go any further as a boy. I’ve seen how that manifests in other people. And I don’t want to be like that.”
During an appearance on Louis Theroux’s series Interviews last year, the “Hide & Seek” rapper described their split as his “biggest loss” and revealed that the breakup was “probably the biggest catalyst” for his growth as a person.
While Stormzy has kept his romantic life private since their breakup, Jama began dating NBA player Ben Simmons in spring 2021. The two were engaged by December that year but called off their engagement in August 2022.
