I’m such a lover & I am a big leaver as well, reveals Maya Jama as she opens up on romance amid Ruben Dias relationship

TV beauty Maya Jama must have men falling at her feet.

But the Love Island presenter has revealed she can be ruthless when it comes to romance — and is not afraid to speak her mind.

Maya is dating Manchester City defender Ruben Dias and she was spotted watching him at the Etihad Stadium last week.

Maya said: “I’m such a lover but I am a big leaver as well.

“I know what makes me happy and I know what I like — and this is no disrespect to anyone I’ve been in a relationship with, but if it’s not that then I will leave it.

“My point I always try to make is that I am really, really happy and I have curated this lovely little life for myself and my friends.

“I only want you if you are going to add to that or make it better, otherwise I am not really on it.”;

Maya and rapper Stormzy announced their split in July last year — ten years after they first started dating.

In between their on-off relationship, Maya had a whirlwind engagement to basketball player Ben Simmons.

But they split in August 2022, months after he popped the question.

Maya was speaking about her love life in video series Now You Know with Julie Adenuga, which airs from April 1 on My5 and YouTube.

She said: “Dating is a bit of a ball-ache if I am honest because I am like, ‘I can’t go anywhere with you because even if I step out with my friend they are going to say I am dating him’.

“That’s a bit annoying, having to be a secret agent to date.”;

Meanwhile, Maya spoke of the decision to leave her home city of Bristol and move to London at 16 to pursue her dream of presenting.

She said: “I was working at Urban Outfitters and Lipsy in Westfield, both of them at the same time.

“During those times when I was living at my family member’s house, it wasn’t a very nice environment — no gas, no electricity and washing at Urban Outfitters in their sinks.

“We didn’t have gas sometimes so it would either be a kettle job or I would just go to the toilet and flannel it up.

“I was in the trenches for a little bit.

“Those times I thought, ‘How long are we going to do this?’.”;

It seems that the hard yards certainly paid off for Maya.

MAMMA MAYA!

MAYA JAMA and her mum could easily be mistaken for sisters as they filmed a new advert together.

The presenter proved it’s all in the jeans as she looked effortlessly chic in denims, while Sadie wowed in a white off-shoulder dress in central London.

Maya praised her mum’s age-defying figure after she turned 50 in January.

She said: “You are so fit.

“God bless these genetics.”;

PATSY KENSIT has got a sexy new role playing an exotic dancer in new movie Jackie The Stripper.

The actress said at the Smiley Charity Film Awards on Thursday: “I’ve been up since 3am filming in Kent.

“It’s for a film about a very raunchy woman.”;

It also features Katie Price and Harry Potter actor James Phelps.

Director Michael Head told me: “‘It’s a female empowerment film.

“Sort of Kill Bill style.

“Patsy plays Carlita, who is the head of a female group of assassins posing as strippers.”;

ZARA MEETS LOUIS FOLKS

LOUIS TOMLINSON has taken his romance with Zara McDermott to the next level.

The pair were recently spotted holding hands and dining on £100 fish and chips during a romantic date at a hotel in Suffolk.

Now I can reveal that the former One Direction singer has introduced Zara to his family.

A friend said: “Zara has already met all the family and they can tell that she has made Louis giddy.

“It’s the first time in a long time that they have seen him happy.

“They think Zara is super whole-some and health-conscious so they are happy he is with someone who shuns the party life.”;

Louis and the former Love Island contestant have been talking for a while and enjoyed a handful of low-key dates over the past few weeks.

Louis, who has a nine-year-old son with stylist Briana Jungwirth, has been single for a number of months.

Meanwhile Zara, who split from I’m A Celeb star Sam Thompson last year, follows Louis’ sisters Lottie, Phoebe and Daisy on Instagram.

Looks like the three girls may just have a new sister in their lives.

FEARNE’S EX ‘DEVASTATED’

JESSE WOOD may be starting to move on after separating from wife Fearne Cotton – but his stepmum says he is still devastated by the fallout.

While neither party has commented on the break-up, the pair have found new partners.

Presenter and podcaster Fearne was seen snogging TV director Elliot Hegarty, and Jesse – son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie – has been dating actress Gemma Gregory.

Now Ronnie’s ex-wife Jo Wood has said in an exclusive interview: “I was shocked, actually.

“I didn’t expect Fearne to have a new boyfriend. And Jesse was devastated.

“But sometimes in life, you have to go through these things.

“I hope Fearne will be very happy.

“I’m sure Jesse’s going to be very happy.

“These things work out.

“Their time was up, they had to move on.”;

While promoting her new novel The Resurrection Of Flo, Jo said: “I saw him the other day.

“He looked really handsome and gorgeous, and I thought, ‘Yeah, it’s time for him to get back out there’.”;

She added: “Gemma, his new girlfriend, is a friend of Sadie Frost's.

“It’s all very new – right at the beginning.”;

HELEN: MY SEXY THERAPY

HELEN FLANAGAN has revealed the real reason she posts sexy pictures on her Instagram – getting glammed up is her therapy.

The former Corrie actress and mum of three said: “I think getting dolled up for me is like therapy, it makes me feel good about myself and more confident.

“I’m not someone who finds it very easy to check out.

“Switching off for me is a nice date night with my boyfriend.

“We’ll go for dinner and have a few drinks.

“That for me is my relaxation.

“I’m definitely very much like a northern girl at heart and we really dress up.

“I’m very much about doing my tan, my nails, my hair, doing my make-up.

“Suddenly then I’m not a mum, I’m Helen.”;

Speaking ahead of her appearance at the WhichBingo Awards, she added: “I love a gorgeous dress, I’m definitely a girly girl.

“It’s all part of feeling good about yourself.”;

Helen also fancies her own Rovers Return after leaving her Corrie role as Rosie Webster in 2018.

She said: “I’d love to see Rosie come back as a single mum, having just left her partner.

“She’d dump her two kids with Sally and I think she would be an iconic barmaid at the Rovers Return.

“Especially as I am living up north again now.”;

Make this happen, Corrie writers . . . 

PETE JOY AT BECKY

PETE TONG will welcome Rag ‘N’ Bone Man and Becky Hill on stage at the Royal Albert Hall when he performs for the tenth anniversary of his Club Classics set, I can reveal.

The DJ is “thrilled”; to be reuniting with Becky and said: “I got to give her her first Brit a few years ago.

“She stayed with us for almost five years.

“She was on every tour, and over the last couple of years her story has really exploded.

“We’re thrilled.

“She always said, ‘If we make it to ten, I’m coming back’.”;

Pete said he’d love Chris Martin to collaborate on the project in the future.

BLUD & JESSE CALL IT QUITS

YUNGBLUD has split from US actress Jesse Jo Stark.

But the punk rocker told us there are no bad feelings and the pair are still “best friends”; after four years.

Yungblud, real name Dominic Harrison, said: “We actually just broke up.

“Yeah, she is my best friend.

“I am vibing.”;

The singer and Jesse, whose godmother is Cher, went Instagram official in 2021 after he slid into her DMs and asked her to be in his video.

But it seems the rocker, who released nine-minute single Hello Heaven, Hello on Tuesday, is channelling everything into his music.

He said during his playback at London hotel and restaurant Chateau Denmark on Wednesday: “Bludfest is coming back this year and we are going to take it international – we have plans to take it to Malta, Paris and Prague. Wild.

“I have got a big, old punk who is going to come on stage with me and sing this year . . . Billy Idol I think.”;

Meanwhile, Yungblud, who debuted three new songs during a surprise gig at Scala in King’s Cross on Friday, is planning to watch Oasis this summer with Noel Gallagher‘s daughter Anais.

Asked if he had tickets to watch the reunion of the decade, he added: “I know Anais really well, so I will probably go with her.

“I met Noel at a party when I was about 18 and he said, ‘You are f***ing gobby’.”;

Sounds like Noel met his match.

POWER OF POITIER ON STAGE

CAUGHT LIVE: Retrograde, Apollo Theatre, London

★★★★☆

THIS intense one-act play centres on a pivotal moment in the life of trailblazing Hollywood star Sidney Poitier, the first black man to win a Best Actor Oscar.

Created by British actor and writer Ryan Calais Cameron, it explores a career-defining meeting the star of In The Heat Of The Night and To Sir, With Love had in New York in 1955.

On the cusp of stardom, Sidney is preparing to sign a contract – but finds it comes at great personal cost.

As he considers putting pen to paper, he has to weigh up whether to put his career before his principles.

Ivanno Jeremiah, as Sidney, delivers his lines with panache, comic timing and emotion.

There were laughs from the audience along with nods of knowing frustration.

And I wasn’t surprised it got a standing ovation.