Maya Jama QUITS Love Island after presenting hit ITV dating show for nine series as she says it is time to 'throw myself into something new'

The ultimate bombshell has left the villa! Maya Jama has announced that she has quit Love Island after an 'unforgettable' nine series as she shared a new statement on Instagram on Sunday. The presenter, 32, took over the hit ITV2 dating series in January 2023 from Laura Whitmore and has become one of the most in-demand stars. The shock announcement comes a week after she made it to the final of this year's Celebrity Traitors. She also recently made her acting debut in Guy Ritchie's hit Netflix series The Gentlemen. Maya said 'all good things must come to an end' and that she is 'grateful' for the experience but it is now time to 'throw myself into something new'. Alongside a montage of her best bits, she wrote: '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..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. The ultimate bombshell has left the villa! Maya Jama announced that she has quit Love Island after an 'unforgettable' nine series as she shared a new statement on Instagram on Sunday The presenter, 32, took over the hit ITV2 dating series in January 2023 from Laura Whitmore and has become one of the most in-demand stars; pictured 2023 '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. The show really does belong to the people who watch it and embrace it year after year.'Biggest thanks to the incredible production team, I’ve seen firsthand how you work your asses off for months every year to bring this iconic show to life.'She continued: 'I started hosting the show aged 28 and during the 9 incredible series met the most wonderful humans along the way. I’ve loved every slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show. I’ll forever be grateful for the experience.'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.'While my own Love Island journey has come to an end, I wish the show and the team all the success in the world, I’ll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever.'An ITV spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Maya has been a fantastic and much loved host on Love Island - we thank her for everything she has brought to the show over the last three years and wish her every continued success.'It is reported that Maya's replacement will be announced by ITV in the coming weeks as the fourth series Love Island: All Stars is scheduled to take place in South Africa in January. Back in July, Maya opened up about speculation she might be leaving the show as she explained she never commits to another series until the end of one. She told Deadline: 'I never decide if I’m doing the next series until the end of one. So it’s fake news that I’m leaving, but I always decide at the end of a series if I’m going to continue the next year. So we’ll find out.'Her last outing in the villa saw her crown Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi as winners of the show back in August. Maya said 'all good things must come to an end' and that she is 'grateful' for the experience but it is now time to 'throw myself into something new' It is reported that Maya's replacement will be announced by ITV in the coming weeks as the new series Love Island: All Stars is scheduled to take place in South Africa in January The shock announcement comes a week after she made it to the final of this year's Celebrity Traitors. She also recently made her acting debut in Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The GentlemanMaya missed out on glory during the Celebrity Traitors final last month when she was banished from the Scottish castle during the final roundtable.But the star won over viewers with her time as a cloaked villain on the show, as she didn't shy away from showing her ruthless streak when it came to the famous murders.Insiders said that they hope to tempt Maya back to the BBC with a big TV offer, as she started her career on the channel as a presenter on Radio 1.A source said: 'The Celebrity Traitors has seen Maya take centre stage in a show watched by a massive mainstream audience — and that's something she's never had before.'They went on to tell The Sun: 'Beeb execs have been observing her closely and think she has a great mix of intelligence, glamour, confidence and a sense of humour that will make her the perfect choice to front big shows.'So they're already looking at projects that would fit the bill — but they'll face some resistance from ITV who very much view her as being firmly in their roster of talent.'The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Maya Jama for comment.Maya launched her career on the BBC, first as a radio DJ, and then as co-host of the show Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, and the competition series Glow Up.She then took over as host of Love Island in 2023, and has also appeared as a judge on The Masked Singer.Despite her memorable appearance on Celebrity Traitors, Maya failed to turn up to a special recording of Celebrity Traitors Uncloaked.Following the final, in which Faithfuls Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft were crowned the winners, the cast reunited in London for the finale special of Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble.But Maya was conspicuously absent, with Ed telling the audience she was 'away filming' and 'sends her apologies'.She is currently filming series three of Guy Ritchie's drama The Gentlemen.She had a brief role in series two, in what was her scripted acting debut, but impressed bosses at Netflix so much that they invited her back for a longer run. Insiders said that the BBC hope to tempt Maya back after Celebrity Traitors success with a big TV offer, as she started her career on the channel as a presenter on Radio 1 She is currently filming series three of Guy Ritchie's Netflix drama The Gentlemen; pictured with Kaya Scodelario Her last outing in the villa saw her crown Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi as winners of the show back in AugustThe Daily Mail recently revealed that her company's fortune rocketed to more than £4million amid her sky rocket to riches.In just one year, Maya saw her business empire grow by almost £1.4million while newly published accounts also show her firm had nearly £2.5million in the bank at the end of January this year, plus investments worth almost £1.4million.Documents lodged at Companies House show her firm, MIJ & Co Entertainment Ltd, was worth more than £4million after its debts were taken into account – up from £2.63million the year before.The ex Love Island presenter has made no secret of her business ambition.In 2024, she revealed her financial advisers told her she could afford to retire at 40, but she insisted: 'I want to make a lot more money first.'In April 2025, as her busy schedule continued, she admitted: 'I rarely get time off.'Maya has also spoken about putting her money to work rather than simply spending it, explaining last year: 'I think a diverse portfolio is important.'Alongside her television jobs, Maya has built up a string of lucrative advertising partnerships, including the Rimmel London job.In April 2025, she joined forces with Uber Eats to launch a special takeaway menu featuring some of her favourite comfort foods.The Bristol-born star is also involved in other businesses, including her skincare brand MIJ Masks and Swedish plant-based milk company Sproud, in which she invested before the latest accounting year.Her ambitions have extended into property, too. In September 2025, Maya set up a separate company, later renamed Penny Property Holdings.Three months later, she reportedly bought a £520,000 cottage in the Cotswolds through a separate company she controls.The three-bedroom home has since been offered to holidaymakers as a rental property, giving the presenter another potential source of income.