Love Island presenter Maya Jama has speculated that age may have been a factor in her losing out on the high-profile gig in previous years.
The television host and DJ, who has previously fronted Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer and Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star, was announced to be taking over from Laura Whitmore on the ITV2 reality series in October.
Whitmore had presented the show since the late Caroline Flack stepped down in 2020, although at the time, Jama was a name that had been suggested for the job by fans.
In an interview with The Times, Jama said that her age may have blocked the opportunity until now, suggesting that producers felt she had been “too young” to take on such a major gig.
“Once you start doing TV, you meet a lot of producers through different shows, and the heads will be aware of talent,” she began. “That’s weird to call yourself talent, isn’t it? I talk for a living. It’s not exactly tap dancing everywhere or performing a ballad.”
Jama continued: “So I think I’ve always been in their eye line, but I was super young when the presenter shifts were happening in the past. They knew about me but I was always a bit too young, and obviously, there were previous hosts anyway.”
Jama will begin her tenure as the face of the reality series when Winter Love Island kicks off on Monday 16th January 2023, returning to South Africa where the 2020 edition was also filmed.
She added that she accepted the job “straight away” when it was finally offered to her over the phone, while she was spending time in the United States.
Love Island returns to ITV2 and ITVX later this month. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.