LOVE Island host Maya Jama has opened up about her relationship with Ben Simmons.

The 28-year-old has given an update on her relationship status after months of speculation that she and the NBA basketball star had called it quits.

When did Maya Jama and Ben Simmons split?

Maya Jama has confirmed her split with Ben Simmons, after months of speculation that the pair had gone their separate ways.

In August 2022, it was understood that the pair had called it quits on their relationship, but in a new interview, the presenter said she had been single for only a month.

Speaking to The Times on January 8, Maya said: "I’m really, really single right now.

"Newly single. It’s only been a month.. but it’s nice."

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The Sun exclusively revealed the couple had decided to call it quits in August following a "difficult time" over their conflicting schedules.

A source told the publication at the time: ''It’s been a difficult time for them.

"While they both care for each other so much, they truly gave it their all and realise that they just come from two different worlds.

"They now understand they don’t have the time they thought to dedicate to this relationship."

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The source then added: "After many long nights and hours of heartfelt talks, they finally realised as much as they love each other, their nonstop careers and endless travel have made it incredibly impossible to make it work.

"They had no idea the challenges they would face when handling all the logistics of making a life together in two countries."

The source also told how Maya and NBA basketball star Ben's break-up was "one of the hardest decisions of their lives".

Were Maya Jama and Ben Simmons engaged?

Maya and Ben were engaged for eight months before they decided to break off their engagement.

Ben popped the question in December 2021.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Maya called it off after things came to head last month.

“She is not going back to New York now. It’s heartbreaking for both of them, especially as they were so committed to each other.

“They’re both young and want to focus on their careers. Maya has a bright future ahead of her with job offers coming in all over the world and is feeling positive.

"She has been hitting the gym a lot and spending time with her good friends.”

Who has Maya Jama dated?

Maya has been linked to several high-profile men including rapper Drake, who mentioned her in one of his songs.

But, she has only ever publicly opened up about three relationships, including Ben Simmons – here's all we know about the other two.

Stormzy

Maya's most famous relationship was the four years she spent with rapper Stormzy.

She began dating the rapper in 2016, when she was 20 and the couple quickly won over the hearts of the public.

By 2018 the couple had moved in together in southwest London with the dog they shared, Enzo.

This is why it was no surprise the news of their break up on August 21, 2019, left fans surprised and devastated that the pair had gone their separate ways.

Fans were stunned by the news since it was just a few days prior when Stormzy had celebrated Maya’s 25th birthday with her at Night Tales bar in Hackney, East London.

Shortly after Stormzy and Maya Jama’s split was announced, rumours began circulating on social media that the couple’s decision to call it quits was prompted by the rapper being unfaithful to Maya.

The rumour mill quickly started and it wasn't long before people online began to speculate that the ‘other woman’ involved in the split was musician and long term friend of Maya, Jorja Smith.

The stars have always strongly denied the rumours.

In an interview with The Times in January 2023, Maya opened up on her previous relationship with the rapper.

She explained: ''We were so young when we met, just beginning our careers. I was starting at MTV.

"He’d not even released a single at that point. We were just little babies."

"I don’t think either of us knew it was going to be such a big thing.

"We were just: we’re young and in love and we’re going to go for it and work really hard.

"We’re just together. We never really did red carpets. We didn’t do any of that stuff".

This comes after it was reported that the pair had rekindled their romance recently, as they attended the GQ Men of the Year event in London last year.

However, Maya has put the rumours to rest and said that she is "very much single".

Rico Gordon

Maya has publicly opened up about her boyfriend, Rico Gordon, who was heartbreakingly killed when she just 16 years old.

Her boyfriend, Rico, 21, was tragically caught in a crossfire of a gunfight between two gangs in Bristol in 2011.

Rico was on the phone to Maya trying to get directions to her house when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and tragically lost his life as a result.

His mum Anna, opened up to The Sun on Sunday about how "deeply in love" and what a "beautiful couple" the pair were.

Speaking of her late son's relationship with Maya she said: “It was only after they recovered Rico’s phone that I could fully appreciate how in love they were. There were so many photos of them hugging and kissing,"

“There is a big church that you can see from the balcony of my house and Maya told me they were planning on getting married there.

"They were so young but they had visited the church and both agreed it was the perfect place for their wedding.

“It breaks my heart to say that the next time she went to that church it was not for their wedding, but for Rico’s funeral.

“Rico was interested in becoming a PE teacher and he fully supported Maya in her career.

“He would have backed her all the way.”

Anna then went on to explain how the TV star felt responsible for the death of her boyfriend.

She said: ''Maya blamed herself after what happened, but then everyone blamed themselves. She tried to con-vince Rico to stay in London that day.

"Rico didn’t know Bristol well and there are some dodgy parts so Maya thought it would be better if he stayed in London.

“There was a carnival that weekend and a few people were driving up, including my daughter Calita, who is two years older than Rico. Rico didn’t want to go because he didn’t like big crowds. Maya told him, ‘Don’t come, just stay home’.

“There was a boxing match that night and a few of his friends agreed they would watch it on Sky at mine.

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“Then, at the last minute, Rico decided to come to Bristol to see Maya. You always think, ‘What if he had just stayed home?’.

“Maya cries every time she talks about what happened.”

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