Bristol-born Maya Jama has opened up about how the murder of her former boyfriend, Rico Gordon, spurred her on to success.
Rico Gordon was caught in a crossfire between rival gangs as he travelled from London to Bristol when Jama was only 16 years old.
However, the 25-year-old DJ has spoken to Cosmopolitan UK about how the murder spurred her on to later success.
She revealed that coping with such a tragedy toughened her up as a woman during then and later in life.
She said: “I went through a lot. With my boyfriend passing, it gave me a fearless approach. I felt like life was really short.
“At 16 you think the world is a fairytale and it took me out of that. It made me even more determined. If it hadn’t been for going through those difficulties, my whole perception of life would be different.
“Statistically I should have gone off the rails then, and it feels like my career was the thing that saved that from happening. I had hope and there was something to look forward to.
“When you go through trauma, if you don’t have something to look forward to, that’s when you can get stuck in a rut.”
Maya, co-host of BBC One show Peter Crouch: Save our Summer, added: “I don’t let myself get wound up over smaller things because I know what it’s like to feel actual pain.”
Two men were jailed for life for the murder of Londoner Rico who was visiting Maya in Bristol when he was killed.
She went on TV’s Crimewatch to appeal for witnesses.
