Love Island | Who will replace Maya?

Just weeks after her stint on The Celebrity Traitors, Maya Jama, 32, left fans shocked when she announced she was stepping back from her Love Island presenting duties.
It later emerged that ITV bosses ‘went to great lengths to try and keep’ her but now face a ‘quick turnaround’ to find a replacement before the next series airs in January. However, with the role ‘proven to be a career gamechanger,’ there’ll no doubt be a long-line of stars hoping to bag it.
‘The feeling is the role is still best suited to a glam girl over a male but that’s up for discussion,’ said a TV insider, adding that Olivia Attwood, who appeared on the show in 2017 but has since gone on to carve out a career as a presenter, is an ‘obvious frontrunner.’ They explained, ‘She has such a close relationship with the production firm, Lifted, and even attended a big bosses’ wedding.’ However, the source was quick to note that ‘no decisions have been made nor formal talks undertaken,’ especially as the 35-year-old is also said to be in the running to take the helm on another ITV dating show, the reboot of Take Me Out.
Despite her rising stardom, Maura Higgins is unlikely to be in the mix as she’s already booked to host Disney’s revival of Blind Date. However, fellow former Love Islander Chloe Burrows - who is rumoured to be going into the I’m a Celeb jungle - is said to be a potential alongside Loose Women’s GK Barry.

What’s next for Maya?

Maya announced her departure after nine series, telling fans, ‘All good things must come to an end, it’s my time to step down as the host of my beloved Love Island.’ The show marked a change in her career trajectory and saw her fame sky-rocket. But, while she says she’ll ‘forever be grateful for the experience,’ the star shared, ‘I’ve always believed that to truly grow, you have to take a leap every now and then, and now is my time to throw myself into something new.’ Aside from her recent appearance in The Celebrity Traitors, Maya made her acting debut earlier this year in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentleman and is currently filming the series’ third instalment. Back in March she said, ‘I naturally fell into presenting when I was young…[But] now it just feels like the doors opened up again [to get into acting]’ before teasing that she’s ‘ready to do something else’.
And, now, the star has signed a staggering seven-figure deal with streaming giant, Netflix. ‘I’m absolutely buzzing to be working with Netflix! There are some really exciting things coming and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we’ve been working on.’ She added, ‘I can’t give too much away just yet, but I’m so excited for this next chapter. Watch this space!’