Maya Jama has a message for everyone referring to her as “Stormzy’s girlfriend”

People


Maya Jama has a message for everyone referring to her as “Stormzy’s girlfriend”

By Kayleigh Dray

8 years ago

Maya Jama has an established career of her own, yet people still persist on referring to her as “Stormzy’s girlfriend” – and she’s done with it.

Maya Jama has steadily built a reputation as a front woman on TV and radio. 

At just sixteen, she moved to London, where she set up her own YouTube channel and caught the attention of MTV. Since then, she has gone on to host the MOBO Awards, scored her own popular Saturday-night TV game show, Cannonball, recently landed her first American modelling job, and is soon to appear on Sky One’s extreme-sports program Revolution.

And yet…

Well, ever since she began Stormzy dating three years ago, Jama has seen members of the public and the media constantly refer to her as “Stormzy’s girlfriend”.

Now, while acknowledging that her rapper boyfriend is “more famous” than her nowadays, Jama has called out every “ignorant” and “rude” person that has ever ignored her birth name.

Appearing on Loose Women this week, Jama said she has never felt threatened by her boyfriend’s success, and thinks it’s good for both parties in a relationship to have their own careers.

“I was working at MTV when we first met and I interviewed him,” she recalled.

“He was just starting out and I was already a presenter. He is the more famous one now but I don’t think you need to step back, you can do your own thing at the same time.

“He is doing amazingly well at the moment and I am doing my own thing completely separate.”

Jama continued: “I think sometimes but I’m not ignorant to the fact that a lot people only know me because of him and only know my name as Stormzy’s girlfriend but at the same time, I do have a name.

“It happened to me once at the National Television Awards some girl came over to me and said ‘Stormzy’s girlfriend’ and I said ‘My name is Maya’.

“It then went really silent and awkward.”

She added: “I can’t get angry but I do think it is a little ignorant.”

Earlier this year, Jama and Stormzy gave their first joint interview – and they were asked how they managed to stay together, despite their busy schedules.

“The fact that we love each other,” Jama told Vogue, speaking for both her and her partner. “That’s the main thing.”

And, when asked if she and Stormzy have made any plans for their future (a not-so-subtle attempt to turn the conversation around to marriage and babies, we imagine), Jama quickly shut that down.

“We’re 23, 24 years old; we don’t make plans!” she said.

“Just carry on floating. We’ll see where it takes us.”

Images: Rex Features

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