Jan 15, 2026 4:00am PT Maya Jama on ‘Love Island’s’ Global Success and Finally Pursuing Acting With ‘The Gentlemen’ Role: ‘It’s Always Been in the Back of My Mind’ By Ellise Shafer Plus Icon Ellise Shafer Latest Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey to Star in ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ Revival in London 19 hours ago Robert Pattinson’s Secret Role in ‘Marty Supreme’ Revealed by Josh Safdie 2 days ago BAFTA Awards Longlists: ‘One Battle After Another’ Leads With Record 16 Nods, ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Sinners’ Follow With 14 Each 6 days ago See All Hollie Molloy Before she became a globally recognized presenter as the face of “Love Island” in the U. K., Maya Jama dreamed of becoming an actor. “I was that kid who would be like, ‘Let’s have a performance in the front room and get all our family members to pay for a ticket,'” the 31-year-old tells Variety on a cold December afternoon in London. We’re tucked away in the cozy corner of a chic Chelsea restaurant, but Jama immediately proves she’s no snob — she insisted on ordering from the kids’ menu and is nibbling on battered prawn bites and a cheese quesadilla.
