Maya Jama is officially leaving the villa. After three years, nine series and countless slow-motion entrances that frequently looked more expensive than anything happening around the fire pit, Maya announced on Sunday that she is stepping down as the host of Love Island.
The 32-year-old took over from Laura Whitmore in 2023 and has since fronted the main series as well as Love Island: All Stars and Love Island Games. ITV confirmed her departure and described Maya as a “fantastic and much-loved host,” thanking her for everything she brought to the franchise.
Maya announced the news on Instagram, writing:
“What an incredible era and what an unforgettable time I’ve had… but as all good things must come to an end, it’s my time to step down as the host of my beloved Love Island.”
She thanked the viewers, production team and everyone who had initially campaigned for her to get the job, before explaining why she was ready to move on.
“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.”
And really, the timing makes perfect sense. Maya is leaving Love Island at exactly the point when her career seems to be opening up in several different directions.
Her appearance on the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors introduced her to an audience that may never have watched her walk into a villa in Mallorca. She made it all the way to the final as one of the Traitors, and after being eliminated she donated money to her chosen charity, Action for Children, despite not winning the prize fund.
That show reminded people who already knew Maya why they liked her, while introducing her to viewers who perhaps only vaguely knew her as “the Love Island presenter.” And then there is acting.
Maya made her scripted acting debut as Aisha in the second season of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen, and Netflix has confirmed that she is returning for Season 3, which is currently filming in the UK and Morocco. She is joining a cast that includes Theo James, Kaya Scodelario, Robert Carlyle, Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood.
So yes, I suspect “throw myself into something new” is doing quite a lot of work in that Instagram statement. This does not feel like someone leaving television. It feels like someone clearing space in her schedule.
There is also the slightly awkward reality that Love Island probably needs Maya more than Maya needs Love Island at this point.
The show is still enormous by streaming standards. ITV said the franchise passed two billion streams on ITVX, and Series 13 generated 193 million streams including its companion programming. But the traditional television audience is not what it once was. The 2026 launch attracted about 620,000 viewers on ITV2 overnight before consolidated viewing increased that number to 2.1 million.
That does not mean Love Island is disappearing tomorrow. ITV clearly still considers it one of its most important reality franchises, particularly among younger viewers.
But culturally? It is difficult to argue that the show occupies exactly the same place it did at its late-2010s peak.
Part of the problem is simply familiarity. After more than a decade of bombshells, recouplings, Casa Amor betrayals and contestants who conveniently discover an interest in influencing approximately five minutes after leaving the villa, the format does not feel as unpredictable as it once did.
Maya, meanwhile, suddenly has options. She can present. She can do reality television. Celebrity Traitors proved she works perfectly well when she is the person being watched instead of the person holding the cue cards. And now she is building an acting résumé.
That is why I understand the decision. She was a good Love Island host, although I never got the impression the job required the full extent of what she could do. Maya frequently felt like the biggest star entering the villa, which is slightly inconvenient when your job is technically to introduce everyone else.
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Three years and nine series is also a perfectly respectable run. Better to leave while people are saying they will miss you than stay until everyone starts asking why you are still there.
ITV has not yet announced her replacement. Personally, I would love to see the network use the opportunity to promote someone with an actual connection to the franchise. Indiyah Polack would be interesting, and Maura Higgins certainly has the personality for it, although her increasingly busy schedule may make that difficult.
Whoever gets the job will inherit a very recognisable franchise. But they will also inherit Maya Jama’s slow-motion walk. Good luck with that.
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