Maya Jama, the charismatic host of Love Island, is set to pocket a staggering sum if she stays on as the face of the hit dating show.
ITV chiefs are said to have dangled a hefty contract in front of the star following the summer series’ success, which saw viewer numbers soar to around 2.5 million for the first time in years. The triumph of Season 12 has also paved the way for an extended All Stars winter series, slated to air next January for six weeks instead of the usual five.
Maya, aged 30, took the presenting reins from Laura Whitmore back in 2023 during a period when the show’s ratings were at rock bottom.
Recent reports suggests she’s being offered a cool £800,000 to helm the All Stars edition this winter, with another £800,000 on the table for the subsequent summer series. On top of that, there’s extra pay up for grabs for her work on the Love Island spin-off, Aftersun.
She stands to earn well over £1m for staying on as host(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
An insider told The Sun’s Biz on Sunday column: “Maya is a huge hit with fans and the bosses. ITV are desperate not to lose her.
“They’re acutely aware that she’s being offered lucrative work with other companies such as Netflix. She’s hugely in demand.
“Maya is proud to be part of Love Island and bosses want her to continue with the series for the All Stars and summer format.
“It is still early days but bosses are preparing an extremely good package for Maya that she would find hard to turn down.”
US native Toni was on the verge of tears as Maya Jama announced that she and Cach had won(Image: ITV)
The summer series drew to a close on August 4 after eight weeks of drama and romance, with American stars Toni Laites and Cach Mercer taking the top spot. Their win marked a milestone in the show’s history, as they became the first international Islanders to claim victory in the UK series, reports OK!
Shakira Khan and Harry Cooksley secured second place, while Yasmin Pettet and Jamie Rhodes finished in third.
Following the finale, Maya expressed her affection for the show on Instagram, writing: “We are one of the few shows to do our finals live and I’m so grateful for the trust because it gives so much room for silliness and iconic moments.
“You truly never know what will happen and I had so much fun.
“Thank you to everyone behind the scenes for working non-stop and to everyone at home for watching.”