The dating program Love Island on ITV2 will now be hosted by Maya Jama, it has been confirmed. The English TV personality and “Love Island fan” will be in charge of the ninth season of the Bafta-winning program when it returns to South Africa in 2023.
Jama recently co-hosted the BBC Three program Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star and the BBC One program Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer.
She will succeed Caroline Flack, the late original Love Island anchor, who was succeeded by Laura Whitmore.
Following the passing of Flack, Whitmore hosted the program and its spin-off series Aftersun from 2020 to 2022, however she announced her resignation in August.
Finding someone to replace the “great” Whitmore “was never going to be easy,” said Paul Mortimer, ITV’s director of reality programming, on Wednesday.
However, he added,
“In Maya Jama, we have another well-known viewer who’ll be a wonderful addition to the Love Island family.
“I can speak for everyone when I say that Maya, like Laura and, of course, the sadly missed Caroline Flack, will also offer a distinctive presenting style to the show. She is cool, endearing, and charismatic. We are overjoyed to welcome her to the team.”
Before going on to co-present the Mobo Awards, former Radio 1 DJ Jama started her broadcasting career as a co-host of Trending Live on 4Music and Cannonball on ITV.
The 28-year-old, who has furthermore made guest appearances on Aftersun, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, revealed the news in a video message to her 2.4 million Instagram followers.
In a separate statement to the press, she declared, “I’ve always been such a massive Love Island fan and I’m so pleased to be presenting one of the nation’s favorite programs!”
“I can’t wait to enter the villa and get to know everyone from the island.”
Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti, the season eight winning couple, won the competition in Mallorca in August.
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