Maya Jama says ‘anything I’ve ever really wanted in life I’ve got’ ahead of Love Island

Maya Jama said she has got anything she ‘ever really wanted in life’ as she soaked up in the sun in South Africa ahead of her Love Island debut as the new host.

The presenter, 28, took to her Instagram Stories on Wednesday to share stunning bikini-clad selfies and ‘words of wisdom’ ahead of the ITV dating show kicking off on Monday.

In an array of posts, Maya said she has got ‘anything’ she ever really ‘wanted in life’ and said she is trying to ‘enjoy what’s happening right now’ rather than looking to the future.

She went on to share her ‘words of wisdom’ with her followers, urging them to write down or pray for their goals and ‘believe’ that they deserve it.

Maya also shared an insight into her trip to South Africa, where she has jetted out to for the ninth series of Love Island, with a slew of bikini-clad selfies.

In one snap, Maya flashed a huge smile as she posed in a skimpy black-and-white two-piece and showed off her natural beauty as she appeared to go make-up free.

The DJ styled her dark tresses in a loose plait as she sunbathed in the balmy temperatures.

Another snap saw her sporting a white vest top and black sunglasses as she joked that she was trying to look ‘dainty’ while listening to ‘aggressive rap music’.

Maya styled her raven locks in loose curls cascading across her shoulders as she kicked back ahead of her Love Island debut, as she is taking over from Laura Whitmore.

In an array of accompanying slides, Maya shared her advice about how to achieve what you want in life, urging people to ‘walk away’ from things that don’t make them feel good.

She penned: ‘A morning thought. Sounds a bit wild but anything I’ve ever really wanted in life I’ve got but I don’t know what I want next for the first time so  this is new.

‘I’m in my “enjoy what’s happening right now and think about what’s next later” bag currently.’

‘Speak out/write down/pray for what you want, work hard for it, know you believe and deserve it,’ she continued.

‘Walk away from it if it doesn’t make you feel good and don’t settle for anything that doesn’t align with it. Applies to almost anything you desire.’

‘Also a side note, you can’t be a p***k and expect good things to keep happening either lol. I live by the “don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you” rule.’

She concluded: ‘It’s easy to know if you’re doing something bad if you put yourself if someone who could be on the receiving end’s shoes. OK that’s enough of the words of wisdom stuff.’ 

Maya also shared her joy as she takes on her new job, posting a stunning selfie alongside the caption: ‘Very happy little bunny. God is cute.’

The Glow Up presenter also shared a photograph of her Love Island dressing room as she got to work ahead of Monday’s winter series launch. 

Maya has taken over the coveting Love Island hosting gig from Laura Whitmore and is preparing to make her debut as Love Island host at the coveted villa in South Africa.

Admitting she has been a fan of Love Island for years, Maya recently described the show as fun because it is like watching previous ‘holiday romances’ ‘on telly’.

Talking about what she has always loved about the show as a viewer, Maya explained that it was the first reality show other than Big Brother that she made sure she was back home at to be able to watch.

‘Everyone gets involved, everyone has opinions – from the older people in your family to the younger ones,’ she explained.

‘It’s just fun, it’s fun to see how people play out in different situations and wonder what you would do if you were in the same position.

‘Most of us have had a bit of a holiday romance before and it’s like watching that on telly.’

And specifically on the topic of wanting to see Casa Amor on this series, Maya added: ‘I feel like that’s one of the best moments.

‘We’d all secretly want to know what our partner gets up to when they’re on a lads’ or girls’ holiday.’

Maya, who has recently insisted she is ‘really, really single’, has previously dated rapper Stormzy and only last year called off her engagement to NBA star Ben Simmons.

Ben popped the question over the festive period in 2021, according to reports, after a whirlwind seven-month romance.

Her relationship with Stormzy, who she dated for four years, came to an end in 2019, with Stormzy previously confessing to ‘disrespecting’ and being ‘inconsiderate’ towards her.

And the presenter, 28, called things off with basketball player Ben, 26, in August last year to focus on her career.

Maya will be hosting her first ever series of Love Island after her predecessor Laura Whitmore quit following the summer season in 2022.

In an interview last month, Laura took a swipe at Love Island as she claimed that she would still be fronting the show if she’d had more freedom in her role. 

She admitted: ‘If I could [have done] things the way I wanted to, I’d probably still be doing it.’ 

She said she struggled to remain impartial while working on the show, admitting she sometimes wanted to voice her opinion on what had happened in the villa and ask the Islanders how they were coping following their stay.

The TV star replaced Caroline Flack as the host of the ITV dating show when she stood down in December 2019. Caroline tragically took her own life aged 40 in February 2020.

Laura – who is mother to a 20-month-old daughter with Love Island voiceover star Iain Sterling – took to social media after this year’s summer season to detail her decision, admitting she found flying back and forth from the villa ‘very difficult’. 

In her statement, Laura said she was only planning to fill in for Caroline for one series, emotionally saying that she hope she did her late friend ‘proud’.