Self-confessed Love Island fan Ed Balls said he felt a "personal" connection to host Maya Jama after she recorded a video message for the Good Morning Britain team. Last night, March 13, after 57 episodes, the ninth series of Love Island drew to a close as PE teacher Kai Fagan and social worker Sanam Harrinanan were crowned the winners, nabbing a £50,000 cash prize.
Kai and Sanam made Love Island history with their victory, as they are the first winners to meet during the Casa Amor twist in the show. As Ed and his co-presenter Susanna Reid spoke to Richard Arnold about the Love Island final, the former Labour politician admitted that it had been a "big night" in the Balls household as they sat down to watch it.
Richard then revealed that Bristolian presenter Maya had recorded a special message just for the Good Morning Britain team. Maya was joined by the finalists of the ninth series as she greeted the presenters. "Hi everyone at Good Morning Britain!" she shouted on what appeared to be a breezy evening in South Africa.
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"It's Maya Jama here and we've literally just wrapped on the Love Island final, Kai and Sanam are your winners!" Maya said, before turning to the couple. "How are you feeling? What's going through your mind?"
Kai and Sanam both seemed surprised that they had been crowned the winners, telling Maya that they felt "shocked". Maya then continued: "Thank you everyone at GMB, I hope you enjoyed the series and we'll see you back in London very soon. Bye!"
When ITV cut back to the GMB studio, the presenters couldn't believe that Maya Jama herself had directly addressed them. "Ah," Susanna exclaimed. "Maya Jama talking to us!"
As Susanna and Richard discussed Maya's beautiful windswept look, which the showbiz presenter then tried to replicate, Ed interjected. "I think she was mainly talking to me," Ed said of Maya, grinning. "I felt it was personal."
"I didn't hear her say 'Ed'," Susanna pointed out, as Richard claimed: "I think you were implied throughout definitely, read between the lines."
A series of photographs then flashed up on the screen, in which Ed could be seen posing with a beloved piece of his Love Island merch, which is used by members of the cast every year. "It's my Love Island bottle with 'Ed' on it," he told his co-stars.
"I've been accumulating [merch] over series. My oldest daughter took the Love Island case to Spain in January."
When Ed revealed that he watched all of series nine, Richard said: "Well, get your peep toe court wedges and your budgie smugglers out, Edward, because it will be back in the summer and you and I will be covering it."
"And in the summer is when it should be, really," Ed confessed.
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