has shared her hopes to be a leading lady in a movie one day in a new career move.
The TV presenter, 31, who got her big break when she was asked to host Love Island back in 2022, said she has 'a second wind of ambition' to make it as an actor.
After failing to break into the industry when she was younger, Maya said she 'wasn't as persistent as she should have been'.
'I dreamt of being an actor when I was younger and would try and do all these auditions and would get loads of no's', she said.
'My dream role is something completely opposite to me. I've always said I don't want to be what people expect me to be on camera.
'I'd want to be the complete opposite to that so a monster or a mean, evil person. A villain maybe would be nice', she told the BBC.
Maya Jama, 31, has shared her hopes to be a leading lady in a movie one day in a new career move
The TV presenter, who got her big break when she was asked to host Love Island back in 2022, said she has 'a second wind of ambition' to make it as an actor
Maya is set to star in the second season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen.
She will reportedly play the glamorous wife of a shady associate linked to Theo James' lead character Eddie Horniman.
Filming began last year at the stunning Badminton House in Gloucestershire - a grand estate that doubles as the fictional Halstead Manor in the series.
A source told The Sun at the time: 'Maya is over the moon to land a role in such a massive show with Guy Ritchie at the helm.
'The Gentlemen was one of 2024's biggest series and it's such a glossy, sexy show. It's a perfect fit.'
Maya teased fans earlier this year when she posted a Netflix script on social media, followed by a cryptic photo alongside The Gentlemen star Kaya Scodelario, who plays mob boss Susie Glass in the series.
She previously hinted she might have been in meetings with the streamer by posting a Netflix branded cup to social media, but it was unclear where she was at the time.
Back in January 2025, the BBC Three Glow Up presenter revealed she had been auditioning behind the scenes for a 'dream role' and hinted she wanted to play something completely different from her bubbly TV persona.
She said: 'My dream role, I would want to be like a villain or something that’s completely not like me, so then it shows that I can actually act.
'And then people would be like, wow, two different people.'
Maya is set to star in the second season of Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen
She hinted she might have been in meetings with the streaming platform last year by posting a Netflix copy cup to her social media followers, but it was unclear where she was at the time
The Gentlemen, launched on Netflix in 2024 and became an instant hit thanks to its gritty storyline, razor-sharp dialogue and Guy Ritchie's signature gangster flair (pictured: Kaya Scodelario and Theo James)
It became one of the platform's biggest hits of the year after it reached 44million views in just four weeks.
The Gentlemen, .
The plot follows Eddie Horniman, an ex-Army officer who inherits his family's estate only to discover it's at the centre of a massive cannabis empire.
Series one featured a star-studded cast including Theo James, Vinnie Jones, and Ray Winstone.
