Love Island fans claim Maya Jama has already been in the villa more times during her debut episode than former host Laura Whitmore was during an entire series
Monday night was the debut episode of the brand new series hosted by Maya Jama.
And, Love Island fans have claimed that the new presenter, 28, has already been in the villa more times than former host Laura Whitmore, 37, was during an entire series.
As well as chatting to the new islanders and overseeing the first coupling of the season, Maya then returned at the end of the opening episode to welcome in a bombshell.
Oop! Love Island fans have claimed that Maya Jama, 28, has already been in the villa more times than former host Laura Whitmore , 37, was during an entire series
Taking to Twitter, viewers noted the extra screen time, with one tweeting: ‘Maya Jama’s already had more airtime than Laura Whitmore did for a whole series of #LoveIsland.’
Someone else wrote: ‘I swear Maya Jama has already spent more time in the Villa than Laura Whitmore did for the whole of last season #loveisland.’
‘We’ve seen more of Maya Jama in one episode than we did of Laura whitmore in a whole series #LoveIsland,’ asserted a third viewer.
Another fan of the show tweeted: ‘Ive seen Maya Jama in this villa more then i saw Laura Whitmore the whole of last year #loveisland.’
Yikes: In July 2022, it was reported that former host Laura appeared in just 14 minutes of Love Island by half way into the summer series (pictured in the Love Island villa in February 2020)
Chats: Maya was first seen on screen as she chatted to the new islanders
A total of 1,610 minutes of footage – almost 27 hours – of villa action was broadcast last year at the halfway point, according to The Sun.
The presenter had appeared on 13 minutes and 26 seconds of the main show up until that point, meaning she was paid the equivalent of £744 a second.
At the time, a Love Island spokesperson said: ‘As regular viewers of Love Island will know, the host has never appeared in every episode of the series. As always, Laura’s next arrival will be a surprise to the Islanders and viewers alike.’
In addition to the main show, Laura hosted Love Island Aftersun on ITV2 every Sunday, a role which Maya Jama will now also take on.
Coupling up: Next, she oversaw the first coupling of the season
She’s back! Maya then returned at the end of the opening episode to welcome in a bombshell
In September 2022, former Love Island host Laura hit back at criticism over her short ’10-minute’ stints of air time on the show – a month after quitting the lucrative gig.
The TV presenter spoke out about her ‘frustration’, fuming: ‘Do you have any idea how many hours that takes to film’ – in reference to her brief pre-recorded appearances.
Speaking to the Independent, she said: ‘I just felt like there was only so much that you can do in a show like that.
‘And also the frustration, I guess, when someone’s like, ‘Oh, you do 10 minutes on a show’ and I’m like, ‘Do you have any idea how many hours that takes (to film)?!’
‘I think now with twice a year, it kind of will take up your whole life. Your whole life to watch it. Can you imagine working on it!’
She also opened up about the criticism she has received on the show, saying: ‘The more successful you are, you get it more’.
LOVE ISLAND 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS
Tanya Manhenga
Name: Tanya Manhenga
Age: 22
Location: Liverpool
Occupation: Student and model
Something not many people know about her: ‘I have Vitiligo, which is a skin pigmentation, you may not even notice it.’
‘It’s on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair. Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute.’
‘I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe.’
Lana Jenkins
Name: Lana Jenkins
Age: 25
Location: Luton
Occupation: Makeup artist
Something not many people know about her: ‘In my work as a makeup artist I’ve worked with lots of celebrities.
‘Also, when I was 6-years-old I used to live in Spain and I was in an episode of Benidorm as an extra.’
Anna-May Robey
Name: Anna-May Robey
Age: 20
Location: Swansea
Occupation: Payroll assistant
Something not many people know about her: ‘I went on a date once and I never saw him again.’
‘We went for food and shared a bottle of wine. As I was speaking to him he fell asleep!’
‘I had to clink his wine glass to wake him up.’
Tanyel Revan
Name: Tanyel Revan
Age: 26
Location: North London
Occupation: Hair stylist
Something not many people know about her: ‘My celebrity crush is Channing Tatum – I don’t like pretty boys, they give me the ‘ick’ because they always have a crap personality.’
‘Channing Tatum is handsome but not too pretty. He’s manly and he can dance.’
‘If a man can dance I’m in love with him straight away.’
Olivia Hawkins
Name: Olivia Hawkins
Age: 27
Location: Brighton
Occupation: Ring girl and actress
Something not many people know about her: ‘I did a film with Jason Statham and had a nice 10-minute convo about life.’
‘I’ve been a ring girl for KSI, I played a waitress in James Bond with Daniel Craig and I’ve also been a body double for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson.’
Kai Fagan
Name: Kai Fagan
Age: 24
Location: Manchester
Occupation: Science and PE teacher
Something not many people know about him: ‘I’m a Jamaican citizen. Because of that I played rugby 7s for Jamaica.’
‘I play semi-professional rugby now for Burnage RFC.’
‘I’ve technically got three different degrees and went to three different unis.’
Ron Hall
Name: Ron Hall
Age: 25
Location: Essex
Occupation: Financial advisor
Something not many people know about him: ‘On meeting me, you’d never know I am blind in one eye.’
‘It was the result of a football injury when I was 8. I’ve got two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green.’
Will Young
Name: Will Young
Age: 23
Location: Buckinghamshire
Occupation: Farmer
Something not many people know about him: ‘Every night I light a candle and meditate for 20-25 minutes.’
‘A girl I was seeing told me to meditate, I tried it and loved it. I stopped seeing her and carried on meditating!
‘It’s a nice way to self reflect.’
Shaq Muhammad
Name: Shaq Muhammad
Age: 24
Location: London
Occupation: Airport security officer
Something not many people know about her: ‘I’m a very emotional person. It can be a blessing and a curse.’
‘Every time I watch Dear John I cry.
That’s my favourite film. Any time I’m with someone and they say, ‘Let’s watch a romantic film’, I’m like, ‘How about Dear John, how does that sound?’
Haris Namani
Name: Haris Namani
Age: 21
Location: Doncaster
Occupation: TV salesman
Something not many people know about her: ‘I’ve never found love. I think this is the show that can help me.’
‘It’s the best opportunity for me to find the girl and find the right one. I’ve obviously not found the right one myself.’
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