Hearts shattered around the world when it was announced in July 2024 that Maya Jama and her on-off boyfriend Stormzy had split for good after 10 years. Alas, Love Island host and queen of our hearts has seemingly found a new love, with rumours whirling earlier this year that she's now dating footballer Ruben Dias. And despite neither of the pair confirming their romance publicly yet, it looks like Gary Lineker has just done it for them.
In a TikTok video, Jama was seen joking with footballer-turned-pundit Micah Richards at the UK's first Baller League match. Baller Match is a six-a-side indoor football tournament orchestrated by YouTube collective Sidemen, with teams being made up of sports stars and social media influencers. Lineker and Richards co-manage the Deportrio with Alan Shearer, while Jama heads up MVPs United with Alisha Lehmann.
In the video, Lineker is seen interrupting the pair to joke that Dias should join their team. As Richards, 36, explains that Jama had told him he 'looks 40 years old,' Lineker calls out, 'Micah, stop flirting and get her boyfriend to play for us.'
A shocked Jama then tells the camera, 'This is why I don’t talk to old people. They’re so weird.’
It is thought that Jama and Dias' relationship started after they met in September at the MTV Europe Music Awards, which were held in Manchester. They were spotted in public together for the first time on New Year’s Eve, enjoying dinner at a restaurant in Ibiza.
Following her split from Stormzy last year, Jama admitted she wanted to settle down with her next partner after marking the start of a new decade. She told The Standard, ‘I am so happy right now but the next person I meet I want to marry and have kids with, so obviously I’m feeling fussy.
'I’ve created such a nice life for myself alone and I don’t want anyone who’s not going to add to that. I’m in this lovely bubble and I don’t want you unless you make me happy. If you’re not, I kind of don’t need you.
‘One thing I’ve learned: some people are like, “I’m lonely, I need someone.” But the mission in life is to make yourself happy, then find someone who brings something that matches that to the table.’
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.