Maya Jama steps down as host of reality TV show Love Island

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.