Maya Jama is one of most talked-about celebrities right now, whose rag to riches journey is nothing short of amazing. It was confirmed last year that the television presenter, who was born in Bristol and attended Cotham School, had landed the hottest job of them all and would become the host of Love Island in 2023.
Well, the wait is over tonight at 9pm (January 16), a fresh, young and single cast will be taking the new South African villa by storm, with Maya at the centre of all the drama and grafting. The star recently admitted to still getting 'pinch me moments' to this day after her rise from her 'little home town in Bristol'.
So, just how did the 28-year-old go from a tough upbringing, not being able to afford necessities like food and electric, to having a jet-setting lifestyle and career?
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Despite boasting 2.5 million followers on Instagram and securing top-notch jobs on popular UK shows, the TV star's journey to fame was not always glamorous. So, let's take a look at Maya's fascinating life.
Her rise to fame
Maya moved to London from Bristol at 16 years old to pursue her media career. She then landed a presenter role for JumpOff.TV.
In a Who We Be TALKS_ podcast that was released in 2020, Maya talked to presenters Harry Pinero and Henrie about this move and the difficulties she experienced: "Most of my struggles in terms of life happened in my early days, but I don't really have that many struggles now.
"God gives the hardiest ones to those who can handle it and you always learn lessons from it but I think. Being 16 years old and moving to London was mad for me because I was much more naïve back then.
"There were times I had no money for food, I lived with one of my family members that was on drugs. I wouldn't eat, I'd get the bus to work and I'd be taking clothes from shops then returning them. I was doing all them little things that I know a lot of people still probably have to do now. I was coming into work and acting like, 'hey!', every single day because that's who you've got to be, but knowing that there's no hot water at home or electric so you want to stay at work for an extra hour so you're not sat in darkness.
"Just mad stuff that one day I will probably go into more detail about when I'm older and probably write a book. All those struggles make you apricate things more now."
Through the struggle, Maya did not give up, keen to live out her dreams on the big screens, she steadily began making appearances on shows such as Loose Women.
She soon went on to become the youngest person ever to co-host the Mobo Awards and even landed her own BBC Radio 1 show and lead presenter gig on MTV’s True Love Or True Lies.
In December 2020, she launched her own range of hydrating sheet masks, MIJ masks which she showcases to her followers online.
Luckily, the star has never forgotten her Bristolian roots - making a number of visits throughout the years to see friends, family and other business endeavours. She often documents her whereabouts using social media, a place where her fans can keep up with the star’s lavish outings and comedic humour.
In a 2017 documentary, in which she talks to young people who have had similar experiences, she decided to meet with him during the filming of the show. And although she had hoped to understand why her dad choose a life of crime, she was left disappointed.
But this was not Maya’s only brush with tragedy. At just 16-years-old, she experienced heartache when her boyfriend Rico Gordon was killed in crossfire between two gangs as they spoke on the phone.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Maya continued to chase her dreams with the support of her loved ones and industry connections. Maya made an appearance on an episode of This Morning before to her departure for South Africa for Winter Love Island. Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond, the show's hosts, chatted with the celebrity.
Alison asked Maya: "Do you ever look at your life and think, oh my days?" Maya replied: "From my little home town in Bristol, yeah, there is definitely 'pinch-me' moments a lot. Everyone has their dreams, like I want to be on TV, I want to do all this but you think 'Is that actually going to happen?' Then you just work loads and one minute you wake up and think I'm actually doing the things that I said I wanted to do and that's amazing.
"I don't even normally get enough chance to take it in but this year especially I've had many pinches and thank you gods.
Alison then pointed out, "You're not even 30 yet, you're still a baby."
The star is thought to have a net worth of approximately £1.5million, and there is no doubt that this will grow now that she has become the new face of Love Island. The ITV2 show is known to net its stars huge brand deals, and we're sure that Maya will be on the receiving end of some financial blessings as a result of some lucrative deals.
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