Maya Jama has shocked fans by announcing she’s quit hosting Love Island after four years.
The TV presenter and Celebrity Traitors finalist, 32, took over hosting duties from Laura Whitmore after she succeeded the ITV show’s original host, the late Caroline Flack.
Maya has been at the helm since October 2022 and has also fronted spin-offs Love Island Games and Love Island: All-Stars.
Taking to Instagram this evening, Maya explained that ‘all good things must come to an end’, and she would be ‘stepping down’ from her ‘beloved’ dating show.
She wrote in her lengthy caption alongside a video montage of highlights: ‘Firstly, I want to thank all of the people who rooted so hard for me to host the show in the first place. I wouldn’t change a thing.
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‘To the fans of the show, thank you for every supportive message and every single time you’ve tuned in during my time as host, I’m forever grateful to you all. The show really does belong to the people who watch it and embrace it year after year.
‘Biggest thanks to the incredible production team, I’ve seen firsthand how you work your asses off for months every year to bring this iconic show to life.’
Reflecting on her nine-series tenure, she praised the ‘wonderful humans’ she’s met and declared she’ll ‘forever be grateful for the experience’.
Hinting at her reasons for deciding to pass the torch, she penned: ‘But 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.’
Looking to the future, she insisted that she’ll always be a Love Island fan.
‘While my own Love Island journey has come to an end, I wish the show and the team all the success in the world,’ Maya concluded. ‘I’ll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever. ❤️’
She then took to her Insta Story to add that it’s the ‘end of an era’ and she’s feeling ’emotional’.
In a statement to Metro, a Love Island spokesperson added: ‘Maya has been a fantastic and much-loved host on Love Island – we thank her for everything she has brought to the show over the last three years and wish her every continued success.’
The official Love Island account also commented underneath her announcement: ‘The end of an iconic era 😭💛’
It has not yet been confirmed who will replace Maya, but speculation will undoubtedly be rife.
Meanwhile, former Islanders have flocked to bid Maya farewell, with Amy Hart commenting: ‘Thanks for always being so kind! Learnt a lot from you!! Xx’
Casey O’Gorman said it’s ‘been a pleasure’, while Ellie Chadwick called her ‘the best’.
While Maya’s own bombshell announcement has stunned viewers, it may come as less of a surprise to those who followed her Celebrity Traitors journey.
The Masked Singer panellist was selected as a Traitor on the first day and made it all the way to the final before being banished, allowing Faithfuls Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian ‘Bash’ Croft to split £83,000 for their charities.
But while she didn’t manage to claim victory, the original Traitor was tipped as the show’s ‘real winner’.
In the weeks since 11 million viewers tuned in for the nail-biting final, rumours have suggested big things await her.
Writing for The Times, PR guru Mark Borkowski, author of The Fame Formula, said a ‘lucrative future’ awaited: ‘Maya has been top of everyone’s list for a while – she’s bigger than the show.
‘Someone will offer her a million within days, if they haven’t already.’
Last year, it was reported that Love Island bosses were so desperate to keep the in-demand host on board that they offered her a deal worth almost £2million.