Maya Jama says she knows there is pressure on her as the new series of Love Island nears. The Bristolian, 28, will return to ITV screens on Monday (June 5) to front her first summer series of the show, having presented the hit programme's winter edition in South Africa earlier this year.
Speaking to reporters in Majorca ahead of the show's return, Jama - who replaced Laura Whitmore as host - said getting to host the summer series feels “special”, especially given the celebrity fans it has including Hollywood stars Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire and Amy Schumer. During the winter series, Jama was praised for her hosting skills and her fashion choices.
Looking ahead to the new series on ITV2, she said: “It’s special. I feel now (after) the first one, I’ve got it and we’ve done it, all the nerves are gone a bit and now I’m ready to go.”
“I’m so excited. It’s coming around so fast, I feel like we were just doing it yesterday and now it’s like ‘back at it again’,” she added.
Jama went onto say there is not much difference between the summer and winter editions of Love Island, other than the flight back to London for spin-off show Aftersun is easier to deal with than jetting back from South Africa. Reflecting about returning to the show, she said: “The only pressure I feel is because it went well last time, so I just want to keep it well.”
Jama was tipped to be a possible replacement for the late Caroline Flack when she left Love Island in 2019 before Whitmore got the job. However, Jama did step into a “dream” job after Whitmore announced she was stepping down last year.
Jama said: “I think because I’ve literally watched it since series one and I had all the opinions and been part of the Twitter crew. It’s such a key part of our culture.”
She added becoming the host has definitely changed her life. She said: “My mum was like ‘before it would be just young people that would be like ‘Oh your daughter’ and now it’s the nans, even though you wouldn’t expect them to watch Love Island’.”
Along with the British public, Maya has also discovered the global appeal of Love Island, mentioning how a New York immigration security guard wanted to gossip with her about the show. She has also found out some big celebrity names are huge fans of the show too, including Spider-Man star Maguire, who revealed his enjoyment of Love Island during a meeting the pair had at a dinner.
“He loves the show. He’s a big fan. He knew all the series and everything,” she revealed.
The new batch of Love Islanders include a semi-professional footballer deaf in one ear, a musical theatre performer and a girl turned off by boys with lunch boxes. Jama said she the group are “great”, adding: “They’re all really beautiful and they seem really fun and up for it.”
Ahead of the summer series launch, fans are being given the chance to vote on the Love Island app for which contestants will be paired up, with voting closing at 9pm on Friday.
Love Island returns to ITV2 and ITVX on Monday June 5.
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