Maya Jama has gone from Bristol schoolgirl to one of the UK’s biggest television stars.

The 32-year-old Love Island host is set to be watched by millions as she faces the last round table in the final of The Celebrity Traitors, due to be aired on BBC One at 08:00 GMT tonight.

But behind the glamorous television appearances and red carpet moments is a story that began in a council house with a young girl determined to make it on the small screen.

Maya was born and raised in Bristol, growing up in St Paul’s with a family of Bristol Rovers supporters, putting on song and dance performances for them and charging 20p a time.

She was born in St Paul’s in 1994 and grew up in Bristol with her Swedish mother, Sadie, younger brother Omar and extended family.

Although Bristol is where she spent much of her childhood, she also has strong connections to Sweden through her mum.

She spent time in Sweden as a young child, attended nursery there and regularly returned for family visits during Christmas, Easter and the summer holidays.

Her Swedish roots are something she has spoken about fondly, even recalling getting upset when Sweden lost to Brazil in a World Cup match as a child.

Back in Bristol, Maya grew up around Stokes Croft before moving to the Cotham and Redland area, where she attended Cotham School.

She has previously spoken about growing up in a council house and being surrounded by family and friends.

In a 2019 interview with the Evening Standard, she recalled being a “proper little show child”, putting on performances in the front room and charging family members 20p to watch her dance and sing.

Her mum encouraged her ambitions, even when they seemed a long way from the world of television.

Maya’s childhood was not without its difficulties. Her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family, and Maya has spoken openly about the financial pressures they faced.

In a 2021 interview with ITV News West Country, she explained how free school meals had been a “massive, massive help” while she was growing up.

She said: “We’d go to the cheaper food shops and my mum would make sure we’d ate everything on our plate because you didn’t know when you were going to get your next healthy meal.”

Despite the challenges, Maya had ambitions to work in entertainment from a young age.

At 16, she made the move from Bristol to London to pursue a career in the industry. It was a big step, but one she felt she needed to take if she wanted to make her television dreams a reality.

Her first opportunities came through music and online broadcasting. She began presenting a weekly music video countdown for production company JumpOff TV before joining MTV in 2014 as a presenter on The Wrap Up.

She also worked in radio, building her profile through stations including Rinse FM, before landing a presenting role on BBC Radio 1 in 2018.

Her career continued to gather pace, and in 2017 she became the youngest person to host the MOBO Awards, alongside Marvin Humes.

She went on to present a string of television programmes, including Channel 4’s Stand Up To Cancer and ITV2’s Don’t Hate the Playaz, before taking over as host of BBC Three’s Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star in 2021.

But perhaps her biggest presenting role came in 2023 when she became the new host of ITV’s Love Island.

Taking over one of the UK’s most talked-about reality shows made her a familiar face in households across the country.

She has since fronted further editions of the programme, including Love Island: All Stars.

Now, she is back on our screens in a very different role, competing as a Traitor alongside King Kenny in the BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors.

Having made it to the final, Maya is just one step away from victory, a far cry from her early days trying to get her foot in the door of the television industry.

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