The OTHER secret Traitor Maya Jama is keeping from the Faithfuls: Inside star's 'tough' split from her Man City partner, how she dealt with break-up during show... and 'his Instagram interactions with female influencers'

On screen, TV presenter Maya Jama seems the glowing picture of confidence as she takes on the ultimate game of deception in Celebrity Traitors.

Tapped on the shoulder by host Claudia Winkleman, she was made a traitor and has revelled in it alongside actor Richard E Grant.

But what viewers of the BBC game don’t know is that behind the scenes Maya was quietly dealing with the end of her 18-month relationship with top footballer Ruben Dias.

Celebrity Traitors began filming in May – just days after Maya and Manchester City’s Portuguese defender Dias, 29, decided to call time on their relationship.

So far in the series the 32-year-old presenter has not mentioned the split to her co-stars at Ardross castle in the Highlands.

Celebrity Traitors, though, was the tonic she needed and she was able to laugh again as she found herself in the company of Grant, her friend Leigh-Anne Pinnock, singer James Blunt and comedian Romesh Ranganathan.

One source said: ‘Filming Celebrity Traitors came at the perfect time for Maya. It put a smile back on her face.

‘While her split from Ruben was amicable, there was still a lot of love between them, so it was tough. At the time, they had a shared home but being away meant she could escape it all. Throwing herself into work was the perfect distraction.’

As well as the hilarious company on the show, the phone ban and an enforced social media detox forced on the contestants also helped Maya to move forward after the split.

A friend of hers said: ‘When news of their break-up emerged, rumours began circulating that Dias had been sending late night social media “follow” requests to female influencers but Maya didn’t have to see any of that.’ Maya was thrilled when she was chosen as a Traitor alongside Grant and they have been joined by comedian and presenter James Acaster.

Just two episodes in, she is already a hit with viewers with her sharp wit, impeccable style and mischievous charm.

And Maya – who can also be seen playing Aisha in Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen – is enjoying the high profile Celebrity Traitors brings.

As almost 8.6 million watched her in Friday night’s episode, she was making a glamorous appearance during Paris Fashion Week.

Maya wore a stylish black and white midi dress to attend the star-studded Christian Louboutin show, completing the look with snakeskin heels from the designer brand as she took her seat alongside A-listers including Heidi Klum and Cynthia Erivo. A friend of Bristolian Maya’s said: ‘She’s firmly in the spotlight, where she belongs.’

Sources say she is already being inundated with fantastic work offers and is excited to throw herself into her next chapter. ‘While she was in the castle, she took loads of scripts for potential roles. It kept her busy during their downtime at the hotel,’ said the source.

‘It is a very exciting time for Maya and with being picked as a Traitor and having a large portion of airtime, it could open a lot of doors. She would love to pursue more acting off the back of The Gentlemen. She’s a busy woman but she’s about to get a whole lot busier.’

She dated rapper Stormzy for four years before a 2019 split. They reunited in 2023 but ended their relationship the next year.

Maya, whose first major gig was co-presenting Saturday night show Cannonball with Freddie Flintoff in 2017, began hosting ITV’s dating show Love Island in 2023.

‘She is a grafter,’ said a source who worked with her for years. ‘She makes the most of anything thrown at her and starring on Traitors will catapult her to a place she never dreamed of.’