We’re three days into the second season of Winter Love Island, a return that few expected but has already gotten more attention than any recent summer series.
Why? It’s not the cast, which appears to be good as of now – nothing really new to be excited about.
One woman has already given Love Island more life than Maura Higgins, Ekin-Su Cülcülolu, and Molly Mae Hague combined.
Maya Jama is that woman, and she has proven to be everyone’s type on paper.
For the Bristolian presenter, Love Island has been a long time coming.
I’ve always been perplexed by the fact that we live in a world endowed with both Love Island and Jama, but they’ve never come together until now.
I’ve been a longtime fan of Maya when she first appeared on my radar, which was, sadly, not until she suddenly blossomed all over the press as Stormzy’s girlfriend around 2015.
But I had an instant connection with her and I’m not exactly sure why.
Maybe it was her Bristol roots – the city is where I spent my formative years and, despite growing up in Stoke-on-Trent, I always refer to as home.
Bristolians have their own special charm.
Many of them, at least the ones I know, have a sense of fun, warmth, optimism, and a distinctly local sense of humour.
Jama came from Bristol to London at the age of 16 to pursue a career in television, obtaining her first presenting role at JumpOff TV before quickly rising through the ranks at MTV, Radio 1, and becoming the youngest ever host of the prestigious MOBO Awards at the age of 22 in 2017.
She’s dabbled in whatever presenting pool has come her way since then, from partnering Peter Crouch to present a BBC Euro 2020 Saturday night show for football fans to taking over from Stacey Dooley on Glow Up.
Despite being one of the most pleasant and effortless presenters we have, she has been waiting for the role she has long deserved on the country’s most talked-about shows.
But that all changed with the premiere of the new season of Love Island on Monday night, and there was a buzz about a TV host like I hadn’t seen since Holly Willoughby‘s meteoric rise after joining This Morning in 2009.
There’s no doubting that Love Island followers on Twitter can be especially harsh – just ask any islander who has left the villa, regardless of how popular they were. They will have been subjected to horrific abuse that most of us could never conceive or feel.
But on Monday night, Jama elicited an unprecedented level of favourable feedback.
While the Love Island community is often divided, it was unanimous in its conviction that Jama was precisely what the show needed.
Much like Caroline Flack on Love Island, Davina McCall on Big Brother, and Claudia Winkleman on The Traitors, their true love for the show, the participants, and the fans made them all the great hosts.
She’s the essence of Love Island; she even warned the contestants on her big debut, ‘Don’t forget finding your perfect partner is never that simple, trust me I know…’
That she does, as her love life has been highly publicised since dating Stormzy and being engaged to NBA star Ben Simmons – until they split up last year – despite the fact that she has barely commented on either.
No surprise, then, that Love Island producers are thought to be anxious to sign her to a multi-series agreement because she has been such a positive diversion in a series that has given us very nothing to speak about in terms of the actual islanders.
However, we’re only three days in, so I’m still holding out hope.
Jama, of course, is stunningly lovely. And I say breathtaking because anytime she appears on television, I can’t help but scream, ‘God, she’s so lovely, isn’t she?’ whether or not there is anyone else in the room.
I only bring this up because Love Island is easily the most shallow series possible, to the point where it’s incredible that it can still get away with producing the same carbon copy, fat-free islanders year after year in an age when the discourse around body diversity has never been louder.
So, I believe, having an attractive presenter as its face is a given.
But she’s the kind of celebrity that television has been longing for.
She applies the same energy and passion to any endeavour she works on, whether it’s sports, make-up, or connecting influencers.
Essentially, she just loves her job, and despite being one of the most clearly brilliant actors on television right now, she appears to be really grateful for any chance that comes her way with no vanity, which I’ve found refreshing.
Love Island needs Maya Jama more than she needs it right now, judging by the reaction to her debut, but there’s no doubt that this is the ultimate perfect pairing up, as she is ready to become a true TV heavyweight in the not-too-distant future.
It’s too early to know if it’ll be enough to keep us addicted to Winter Love Island. But the future of Love Island is surely brighter with her in it.
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2