Love Island: All Stars is gearing up for its second season and that means presenter Maya Jama will be back on our screens. Maya is the third presenter of the show but has plenty of other jobs and accolades under her belt, among them being named on the Standard’s list of the 100 people shaping London in 2024.
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Maya exemplifies an impressive story of resilience. When she was growing up, her father was in and out of prison for a series of violent offences and she cut ties with him altogether when she was aged just 12. Shortly after moving to London, her boyfriend Rico Gordon was shot dead while on the phone with her, caught in the crossfire of a gang shoot-out in Bristol.
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Nonetheless, Maya remained in the capital to pursue her dreams, telling the Standard: “I decided to stay in London and try to make it work.”. Jama has since become one of the UK’s biggest stars, earning her place on our list of the top 100 people shaping the capital alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka, Louis Theroux and Dame Tracey Emin.
Here are some key details you should know about Maya Jama. Maya Jama, 30, is a presenter of Somali and Swedish descent, who was born in August 1994. Her parents named her after the civil rights activist and poet Maya Angelou, because her mother read the poem I know Why the Caged Bird Sings during her pregnancy.
Maya moved from Bristol to London aged 16, to pursue a career in broadcasting, setting up her own YouTube channel, which landed her a presenting job on JumpOff TV. After that, she became the host of MTV’s The Wrap Up, before she fronting MTV Essentials and MTV News.
