Okay, stay calm everyone it's happening! Maya Jama has now officially been announced as the new host of Love Island. The hit dating show released a video announcement on Instagram featuring the presenter confirming the news.
The caption reads,' Okay, the rumours are true 😉 Say hey to your brand-new #LoveIsland host @mayajama! ' We see Maya casually scrolling through news articles about her rumoured casting, sitting next to the iconic Love Island suitcase whilst siping on her named water bottle.
Speaking about taking on the role, Maya said, 'I’ve always been such a massive Love Island fan and I’m so excited to be hosting one of the nation’s favourite shows! I can’t wait to get into the Villa to meet all of the Islanders.'
Director of Reality Programming & Acquisitions at ITV2, Paul Mortimer said that finding a new host 'was never going to be easy', but added that Maya is a 'high profile fan of the show.' He said, 'In Maya Jama though, we have another high profile fan of the show who’ll be a great addition to the Love Island family.
'Cool, charming and charismatic, I speak for us all when I say Maya will also bring a unique presenting style to the show, as did Laura and, of course, the very much missed Caroline Flack. We're very pleased to have her on board.'
And it's not just ITV who are thrilled to be welcoming Maya into the fold - the internet could not be more thrilled.
Taking to Twitter, fans of Maya and Love Island alike expressed their excitement at the announcement, with one writing, ‘Maya Jama hosting Love Island and she’s gonna be hotter than any of the girls on the actual show.'
‘Maya Jama as the new LI host?? I've prayed for times like this 🙌🏽#LoveIsland,’ said another, while one more tweeted, ‘I love the fact that my queen @MayaJama is the new host of Love Island 👍🏻❤️’.
While we totally called it back in August, we weren't the only ones: just hours after Laura’s statement, where she admitted, ‘there are certain elements of the show I’ve found very difficult that cannot be changed some due to the format,’ the bookies had earmarked Maya’s chances of landing the role at seven to one (for the uninitiated, those odds are high).
The announcement comes in plenty of time for winter Love Island - which Maya will be hosting. Yes, Love Island is officially making a return in January 2023 - rejoice!
Mike Spencer, Executive Producer at Lifted Entertainment previously said, 'After eight brilliant series, we are excited to be serving up two helpings of love in 2023 by kicking off in January at a stunning new villa in South Africa. We can look forward to more romances, bromances and everything in between as we embark on another epic year of love.'
There were many rumours on who the new host would be from Emily Attack to Rylan but now all has been revealed. Maya takes over from Laura Whitmore who stepped down from the roleof presenter after a three year stint in August. In her instagram statement, Laura wrote: 'Some news! I won’t be hosting the next series of Love Island.
'There are certain elements of the show I’ve found very difficult that cannot be changed some due to the format, including the flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects. I wish it was still possible but know you’ll be in safe hands. I was only planning to fill in for Caroline for a series and it turned into 3 series.I hope I did you proud Caroline ❤️'.
An ITV statement released after Laura made her announcement read: 'Laura has been a fantastic host across the last three series of the show.
'We are so grateful for everything she has brought to the programme but understand and respect her decision, and we look forward to working with her on upcoming ITV projects.'
Maya is no stranger when it comes to a camera. She's appeared on shows such as MTV's True Love Or True Lies and BBC's Glow Up - and we find ourselves more obsessed with each show she does. Fans know she brings a sense of fun and flintiness with her, which sounds like the perfect addition to the villa. Roll on 2023!