Who will replace Maya Jama as the new Love Island host? Ex contestant Olivia Attwood favourite for coveted role as rival Maura Higgins, Vick Hope and Sam Thompson also lead the odds

Maya Jama shocked the showbiz world on Sunday night as she announced she was stepping down from her role as the Love Island host after nine series. The star, 32, has seen her success ascend to incredible heights this year, starring in Netflix hit The Gentlemen and of course the recent series of The Celebrity Traitors – in which she was arguably the stand-out star. And as she departs her dating show job, it leaves one of the most coveted presenting roles free for a new TV star to take over.In what would be the signing of a lifetime, names have already begun emerging for who will land the glamorous opportunity, with ex contestant Olivia Attwood currently coming out on top.It's no surprise that the presenting and podcasting sensation, 35, may be seen as a good fit by ITV, who have worked with the blonde bombshell since she captured the public's attention back in 2017 with her iconic stint on the show as a contestant.It would be a full circle moment for Olivia if she were successful, as she has fronted various shows for the channel in recent years, including documentaries The Price of Perfection about the world of plastic surgery and Getting Filthy Rich which gave an unflinching look at the adult entertainment industry. Who will replace Maya Jama as the new Love Island host? Ex contestant Olivia Attwood is the favourite for the coveted role as her rival Maura Higgins and Sam Thompson also lead the odds Olivia is currently the favourite, with 2-1 odds, to take over according to bookmakers. Fellow ex contestant Maura (seen) is 5-2 Maya shocked the showbiz world on Sunday night as she announced she was stepping down from her role as the Love Island host after nine seriesOlivia is currently the favourite, with 2-1 odds, to take over according to bookmakers. Fellow ex contestant Maura Higgins is 5-2 to replace Maya, while radio star Vick Hope is placed at 3-1 and ex Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson sits at 7-2. 'As a former contestant, Olivia Attwood is very familiar with Love Island, and we make her the 2-1 favourite to replace Maya Jama,' said Coral's John Hill.'Maura Higgins and Vick Hope are likely to be in contention too, while if the show turns to a male presenter, Sam Thompson is the most likely to land the job, according to our odds,' added Hill.Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu has odds of 5-1 to take over, while Joel Dommett sits at 6-1. Meanwhile, a source told The Sun on Sunday night: 'The feeling is the role is still best suited to a glam girl over a male but that's up for discussion.'Olivia is an obvious frontrunner as she has such a close relationship with the production firm, Lifted, and even attended a big bosses' wedding. But no decisions have been made nor formal talks undertaken.'Other names in the mix include ex contestants Chloe Burrows, Indiyah Polack and podcasting star and I'm A Celeb icon GK Barry. Maura, 35, has had similar career success to Olivia – going on to front Love Island USA's spin-off show and landing a place on Dancing with the Stars.She will also soon be fronting a reboot of Blind Date, which could cause a clash with Love Island filming. It's no surprise that Olivia may be seen as a good fit by ITV, who have worked with the blonde bombshell since her iconic stint on the show as a contestant in 2017 Maura, 35, has had similar career success to Olivia – going on to front Love Island USA's spin-off show and landing a place on Dancing with the Stars (seen on the show with partner Mark) It would be a full circle moment for Olivia if she were successful, as she has fronted various shows for the channel in recent years, including documentary series The Price of Perfection Maura and Olivia are thought to be in a long-running rivalry and feud due to their overlapping career trajectories and reported tensions over ex TOWIE star Pete Wicks.Pete dated Maura briefly before he went on to be in a serious relationship with Olivia earlier this year following her split from footballer husband Bradley Dack. As reaction poured in online to Maya's exit another name who was thrown into the mix by fans was Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu who won the show in 2022, before going on to appear on All Stars in 2025. Many penned on X: 'The gig will 100% be given to either Olivia Attwood, Chloe Burrows or Ekin Su,' 'It's gotta be Indiyah, Ekin-Su or Olivia Attwood no one else makes sense.','she would be the perfect replacement', 'ekin su!' 'Give our princess Ekin Su the job for one summer pls', 'Ekin su, lets put on your best suit and head into that itv office.',Maya was announced as the new host of Love Island in October 2022, taking over from Laura Whitmore, and she made her debut in 2023, going on to host nine series of the show over three years.She announced her decision to step down in a statement posted on Instagram, writing: 'What an incredible era and what an unforgettable time I've had, it's been far too much fun to put into words or a video... but as all good things must come to an end, it's my time to step down as the host of my beloved Love Island.'Firstly, I want to thank all of the people who rooted so hard for me to host the show in the first place. I wouldn't change a thing.'To the fans of the show, thank you for every supportive message and every single time you've tuned in during my time as host, I'm forever grateful to you all. The show really does belong to the people who watch it and embrace it year after year.'Biggest thanks to the incredible production team, I've seen firsthand how you work your a**** off for months every year to bring this iconic show to life.'She went on: 'I started hosting the show aged 28 and during the nine incredible series met the most wonderful humans along the way. I've loved every slow-mo walk, fire pit and live show. I'll forever be grateful for the experience.'Although she didn't give an indication of what's next for her, Maya insisted it was time to try 'something new'.She concluded: 'But I've always believed that to truly grow, you have to take a leap every now and then, and now is my time to throw myself into something new.'While my own Love Island journey has come to an end, I wish the show and the team all the success in the world, I'll be cheering you lot on from the sidelines forever.'In the odds, radio star Vick Hope is placed at 3-1 and ex Made In Chelsea Sam Thompson sits at 7-2 Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu has odds of 5-1 to take over from Maya, while Joel Dommett sits at 6-1Other names in the mix include ex contestants Chloe Burrows, Indiyah Polack and podcasting star and I'm A Celeb icon GK Barry As reaction poured in online to Maya's exit another name who was thrown into the mix by fans was Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu who won the show in 2022 Many penned on X: 'Give our princess Ekin Su the job for one summer pls', 'Ekin su, lets put on your best suit and head into that itv office'An ITV spokesman told the Daily Mail: 'Maya has been a fantastic and much loved host on Love Island - we thank her for everything she has brought to the show over the last three years and wish her every continued success.'It is reported that Maya's replacement will be announced by ITV in the coming weeks as the fourth series of Love Island: All Stars is scheduled to take place in South Africa in January.Back in July, Maya opened up about speculation she might be leaving the show as she explained she never commits to another series until the end of one. She told Deadline: 'I never decide if I'm doing the next series until the end of one. So it's fake news that I'm leaving, but I always decide at the end of a series if I'm going to continue the next year. So we'll find out.'Her last outing in the villa saw her crown Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi as winners of the show back in August.Maya launched her career on the BBC, first as a radio DJ, and then as co-host of the show Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer, and the competition series Glow Up.She then took over as host of Love Island in 2023, and has also appeared as a judge on The Masked Singer.