Maya Jama is reportedly set to replace a panelist on The Masked Singer.
The Love Island host is said to have secured a place on the panel of the ITV show, taking over from Rita Ora who has allegedly left the programme to pursue a film career. Reports suggest that Ora will also transition to the American version of the popular guessing game show.
This would mark Maya’s debut on a prime time ITV1 show, following her successful stint as Love Island presenter after stepping into Laura Whitmore’s shoes last year. The Masked Singer is one of ITV’s top Saturday night shows, drawing in up to seven million viewers.
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“This is a huge deal for Maya, who’s now one of telly’s fastest rising stars. It puts her in front of a huge Saturday night audience every week on a show watched by everyone from kids to pensioners,” an insider revealed to The Sun.
(Image: WireImage)
“Up to now she’s had a following which is very young due to Love Island, but signing for The Masked Singer would take her career into a whole new league.” Rita was a hit on the ITV show since its 2020 launch with Joel Dommett as host, reports the Mirror.
She starred alongside Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan. However, guest stars such as Olly Murs, Lenny Henry, Jennifer Saunders and Lorraine Kelly have filled her spot in recent seasons.
(Image: WireImage)
Rita Ora previously replaced Nicole Scherzinger on the US version of The Masked Singer for a temporary period. It’s said she’s got a major film in the works.
The UK show is normally filmed from September to October and airs the following January. Maya’s filming for Love Island usually takes place from May to August.
Speaking on the ‘Table Manners’ podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, Rita, who tied the knot with director Taika Waititi in 2022, gushed about how “jealous” her mates are of her hubby. She said: “A lot of people have called me saying that they are very jealous of me about my husband. I think it’s because it’s what you see, What he’s like is what he’s like.”
(Image: ITV)
Rita went on: “[We laugh] all the time. It’s just really nice to be able to be with someone who makes you feel like it’s not a job and it’s sort of like an existence…not that my past relationships felt like jobs, but it felt like I was responsible to do things in the relationship.
“It was like ‘Do you want to go have dinner? ‘ It was making the effort, and I feel like relationships you shouldn’t have to think really about them. They just happen, and this one’s just really happened. It’s nice, it’s natural. It’s great.”
Daily Star has contacted ITV for comment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
