MAYA Jama is winning the Love Island presenter battle – with bosses already giving her around 50% more airtime than former host Laura Whitmore.
After four episodes, Maya starred for 19 minutes and 55 seconds on ITV’s hit dating show.
Former host Laura Whitmore is married to Love Island narrator Iain Stirling[/caption]
At the same time of the last series, Laura had logged only 13 minutes and 26 seconds.
Debate over the host’s time on set has raged since the late Caroline Flack began presenting Love Island in 2015, as fans have always been keen to see the glamorous stars.
And it’s a topic that even Iain Stirling, Laura’s husband, has made fun of on this show.
When Maya, 28, returned to the villa to make a second appearance in the first episode on Monday, Iain, 34, joked: “She could have just texted, but we wanted our money’s worth on this flight back to Cape Town.”
The show’s bosses have so far awarded Maya about 6.9% of the total airtime.
At the same time in series eight, longtime host Laura, 37, had around 4.6%.
Maya said she intends to visit the new South African villa as often as possible, but will be in London every Sunday to present spin-off show Aftersun.
MAYA: 19 minutes of screen time in four shows
LAURA: 13 minutes of screen time in four shows
A TV source said: “For some reason viewers are still noticing how often the Love Island host appears and for how long.
“Laura really came under scrutiny because in the first four weeks of series eight last year, she only played for those 13 minutes.
“Of course, it remains to be seen how often producers will bring in Maya, but so far viewers seem thrilled with the host’s extra airtime.”
It’s been a tough time for new mum Laura, who cited the trip as one of the reasons she quit after three sets.
New Love Island host Maya Jama has been a big hit with viewers so far[/caption]
Iain Stirling has targeted a search of ITV bosses for Maya’s regular screen time[/caption]
