Maya Jama has said she is desperate to step back from work for a while once the pandemic is over
(Picture: PA)Maya Jama has revealed she wants to go travelling so she can “find herself” after working constantly from the age of 16.
The presenter, 26, started working as a teenager on projects such as JumpOff.TV and later TRACE Sports for Sky. She was also a host for Rinse FM.
In her decade-long career, she has worked on Loose Women, hosted shows for The Brits, EE BAFTAs and the MOBOs, worked for Radio 1 and has recently filmed the third season of BBC make-up show, Glow Up.
Jama, who dated rapper Stormzy for four years until 2019, has worked on partnerships with JD Sports and PrettyLittleThing, Kurt Geiger, Gap, Maybelline and Adidas.
Now, the star said she was itching to get some “life experience” and travel once the pandemic was over.
She told the Standard: “The way things have gone one and how long it [the pandemic] has been going - it has got to a stage now I just am yearning for life experience, which is not possible right now. I have been working since I was 16… pretty much most days. And not really having longer than a week or two off ever. I would love to travel and explore and be able to find my adult self.”
Jama, who had planned to launched her acting career until the pandemic temporarily derailed her ambitions, continued: “Just not having the feeling that I have to return to something. To go away for more than 10 days and not have to come back to work, that would be amazing. I would like for it to happen this year.”
Speaking about working on Glow Up, a reality show that aims to find the next big make up star that was previously hosted by broadcaster Stacey Dooley, Jama said the team had isolated themselves for filming to be possible.
The Bristol-born presenter, who lives in London, said it was “surreal” to be able to touch co-stars.“We were all in a bubble so I could touch the contestants and stuff like that,” she said.
“Everyone was isolated beforehand so we could touch. It was surreal, as for months you have not been able to touch anyone or being able to be close to strangers. To actually be able to hug them, it was a bit of a slice of normality for the last month and a bit.”
She joked: “I think I was being extra touchy and huggy…”
Jama is an ambassador for haircare brand Aussie. The beauty company is this year continuing its partnership with the World Wildlife Foundation, donating money from sales of its SOS Save My Lengths Jar Masks to the organisation.
Jama said of the partnership: “It is a match made in heaven. They have been donating to the WWF to help with everything that is going on right now which is needed. It is nice to be with a brand that actually cares and that is giving back.”
