Love Island host Maya Jama has already been given more screen-time than predecessor Laura Whitmore-Pierra Willix-Entertainment – Metro

Love Island host Maya Jama has been praised after taking over the hosting role from Laura Whitmore (Picture: Rex Features/ITV)

A week into her new hosting gig, the numbers have been crunched and it turns out Maya Jama has received 50% more airtime than her Love Island predecessor Laura Whitmore.

Maya, 28, is currently picking up plenty of praise for fronting the reality dating series and has said she feels ‘overwhelmed’ by the support.

While the focus is usually very much on the Islanders looking for love, viewers haven’t been able to take their eyes off Maya, and it seems like ITV has also been considering this with the amount of time she’s already been seen.

After four episodes, the presenter was featured for 19 minutes and 55 seconds, while by the same episode last season Laura, 37, had clocked up 13 minutes and 26 seconds, according to the Daily Mail.

It was something fans also picked up on earlier in the week, with many posting about it on social media.

‘Maya has been in the villa more times than Laura did the whole season already,’ one person wrote on Twitter.

Laura hosted the series over three years (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock)

‘Not Maya making more appearances in one episode than Laura did all last season lol,’ another added.

But ITV downplayed the difference in screen-time, with a Love Island spokesperson making it clear they don’t want to compare the two: ‘It’s disappointing that two female hosts are being unnecessarily compared in this way.’

‘Love Island has had three fantastic presenters and we celebrate them all.’

When Maya was announced as the new host in October, Laura wrote: ‘Yes girl!! So delighted for you! You’re gonna be fab x.’

Maya has been a real hit with viewers (Picture: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Her husband, Iain Stirling, also narrates the show and said of Maya earlier this week: ‘Maya is absolutely fantastic… [she has] has done such a good job.’

‘Her slow-mo walks are something else. Great looks.’

However, Maya will still also clock up plenty of hours on planes after sharing that she will be heading back to London each weekend to present spin-off show, Aftersun.

When revealing she was walking away from the show Laura, who presented the previous three seasons of Love Island, wrote that there were certain elements of the job she had ‘found very difficult’, including ‘flying back and forth to South Africa along with my new conflicting projects’.

Not long before that, she also spoke about how ‘exhausting’ it had been at times to host the popular series and face scrutiny.

More: Trending

‘I had to also think about it for my own mental health side, because I love the show, but it comes with a lot of s**t,’ she said on Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip.

‘The host only comes on three or four times, it’s always been the way, but it gets the most attention. It’s a bit exhausting and it’s tough,’ she added.

Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Love Island’s Danica Taylor takes swipe at Laura Whitmore and says Maya Jama is ‘a better fit’

MORE : Maya Jama hopes presenting Love Island will open ‘way more doors’ for aspiring stars from ‘similar backgrounds’

Entertainment – MetroRead More