The latest
November 8, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. London time (1:15 p.m. Eastern time).
Maya Jama has announced that she is stepping down as the host of Love Island UK after three years at the helm of British television's most scrutinized reality dating juggernaut.
The 32-year-old television personality and radio presenter broke the news to her 3.1 million Instagram followers on Sunday afternoon, sharing an emotional retrospective video reel capturing her slow-motion villa entrances, dramatic fire-pit eliminations, and live finale broadcasts from Mallorca and Cape Town.
Jama took over the role in late 2022 ahead of Series 9, succeeding Laura Whitmore, and quickly established herself as one of the franchise's most universally praised figureheads. Over the past three calendar years, she presented nine separate series across ITV2 and ITVX, including four flagship summer seasons, two winter editions, Love Island: All Stars, and international crossover tournament Love Island Games.
'Time to throw myself into something new'
In her departure statement, Jama expressed gratitude to viewers, producers, and the legions of fans whose online advocacy originally pushed ITV executives to sign her for the coveted role.
"What an incredible era and what an unforgettable time I've had, it's been far too much fun to put into words or a video," Jama wrote. "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. 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. 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."
She continued: "I started hosting the show aged 28 and during the nine incredible series met the most wonderful humans along the way. I've loved every slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show. 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. I'll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever."
