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Louise Thomas
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Maya Jama and Stormzy have announced they have broken up in a rare, candid statement on their relationship.
In a lengthy post shared on Instagram, the Love Island presenter admitted the couple had been “trying our best to make it work” but had decided to split up.
Jama, 29, dated the British rapper, 30, for four years before they first broke up in 2019. But in August last year, it was revealed that the pair had rekindled their romance when they were spotted holidaying together in Hydra, Greece.
“We’ve been laughing whilst drafting this because we never, ever, in a million years thought we’d be the couple announcing a breakup, but for the sake of clarity and, more importantly, to allow us the space and grace that’s needed for us both to be able to navigate this next bit of our lives with peace, we thought it might be best to,” she began.
“We fell madly in love in 2014, broke up in 2019, and then spent five years manoeuvring life apart.”
The pair first met at the Red Bull Culture Clash festival in October 2014 and began dating the following January. Both were just beginning their careers – Jama as a TV and radio presenter, Stormzy as a rapper with his hit freestyle “Shut Up”.
“We decided to try for the final time in August 2023, and we’ve spent this past year trying our best to make it work; however, we recently decided to call it quits,” Jama continued.
She added: “We were 21 and 20 when we first met-both at the beginning of our careers-and spent five years growing together and then five years growing separately.
“So this final attempt required a whole lot of figuring out, relearning, and We still think the absolute world of each other, we still care and respect each other, we are still grateful for the time we’ve had together, and we are still friends and will always be friends (so if you see us having a lil catch-up at The Brits or something, don’t cause a fuss, we are dawgs!).
“Love you guys and thank you for all the love you’ve showered us with, it’s been beautiful! Mike & M x”
In an interview with British Vogue last year, the rapper admitted the couple had tried to keep their relationship private.
“We were so public the first time round,” he told writer and author Afua Hirsch in the interview.
“Somewhere down the line my spirit started resisting… So I’m not gonna speak on it,” he insisted.
However, weeks later – after he and Jama had been spotted by the paparazzi and Jama had even posted a video of the British rapper on her Instagram Stories – Hirsch quizzed him again.
“We were just living la vida loca,” Stormzy said of the Greek holiday snaps. “Lapse of judgement for an hour!”
In an interview with British Vogue in July 2023, Jama had commented on the “cultural importance” of the couple’s relationship.
“None of us really knew the level of importance it held to a certain group of people, us being together,” the TV presenter, who is half Swedish and half Somali, said.
“We were both super ambitious. We were both from similar upbringings and we were both just little grafters that have made something good of ourselves.
“It was lovely when it was lovely, and then you move,” she added.
