Love Island: Maya Jama to replace Laura Whitmore as host

Maya Jama has been announced as the new host of ITV2's dating show Love Island.

The Bafta-winning show will return to South Africa for a ninth season in 2023, with the English TV personality and "Love Island fan" at the helm.

Jama recently co-presented BBC One's Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, as well as the BBC Three show Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star.

She will replace Laura Whitmore, who in turn succeeded the late Caroline Flack - the original Love Island anchor.

Whitmore fronted the show and its spin-off series Aftersun from 2020 to 2022, following the death of Flack, but announced in August she was to step down.

Paul Mortimer, ITV's director of reality programming said on Wednesday that finding someone to follow the "wonderful" Whitmore "was never going to be easy".

"In Maya Jama though, we have another high profile fan of the show who'll be a great addition to the Love Island family," he stated.

"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."

Former Radio 1 DJ Jama began her broadcasting career co-hosting Trending Live on 4Music and Cannonball on ITV, before going on to co-present the Mobo Awards.

The 28-year-old, who has also appeared as a guest on the aforementioned Aftersun as well as RuPaul's Drag Race UK and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, shared the news herself in a video posted to her 2.4 million Instagram followers.

"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!" she said in a separate statement given to the press.

"I can't wait to get into the villa to meet all of the islanders."

The Love Island series eight title was taken by winning couple Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimenti in Mallorca in August.