Maya Jama sparked a war of words with Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu last week when she shut down her claims she was asked to be the show’s new host.
Maya, 28, was officially announced as the show’s presenter earlier this month after Laura Whitmore stepped down, but Ekin-Su, 28, revealed she was offered the gig first – and turned it down.
She said, “I did get offered [it]. I would’ve loved to do it, but I can’t at the minute because of how busy I am.
“And I said I’m not ready for it… I want proper training. I’ve done presenting before, but not to the level of Laura [Whitmore].”
However, pouring cold water over Ekin-Su’s claims, we spotted that Maya liked, before quickly unliking, a tweet from a report which read, “Ekin-Su wasn’t offered #LoveIsland hosting job – Maya Jama was first pick.”
A TV source also quashed Ekin-Su’s comments, saying that Maya “was the first choice for host”.
Maya had been rumoured to step into Laura’s shoes for months before the news was confirmed. When it was, she gushed, “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! I can’t wait to get into the villa to meet all of the Islanders.”
While Director of ITV Reality Programming and Acquisitions and Controller, Paul Mortimer said, “Finding a new host to follow the wonderful Laura 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."
And who was one of the first people to congratulate her? – that’s right, Ekin-Su. She said, “She’s funny, intelligent, smart, beautiful. ITV have made a good choice with picking her, I think.”
However, last week Ekin-Su, who is currently training for the new series of Dancing On Ice, cryptically posted on her Twitter page, “These rumours make me laugh!”
The Love Island star will be appearing on the ITV skating show alongside the likes of Patsy Palmer, TOWIE's Joey Essex and Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton.
She also recently revealed she's moving in with boyfriend Davide.
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