Maya Jama tells how the murder of her teen love spurred her on to showbiz success
TELLY host Maya Jama has told how the gun murder of her boyfriend spurred her on to future success in showbiz.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK, Maya revealed she was just 16 when Rico Gordon, 21, was caught in the crossfire between two gangs.
The former Radio 1 DJ, 25, said having to cope with the tragedy of his 2011 death toughened her up and made her more determined to succeed.
She said: “I went through a lot. With my boyfriend passing, it gave me a fearless approach. I felt like life was really short.
“At 16 you think the world is a fairytale and it took me out of that. It made me even more determined. If it hadn’t been for going through those difficulties, my whole perception of life would be different.
“Statistically I should have gone off the rails then, and it feels like my career was the thing that saved that from happening. I had hope and there was something to look forward to.
“When you go through trauma, if you don’t have something to look forward to, that’s when you can get stuck in a rut.”
Maya, co-host of BBC One show Peter Crouch: Save our Summer, added: “I don’t let myself get wound up over smaller things because I know what it’s like to feel actual pain.”
Her four-year relationship with Grime star Stormzy, 27, ended last year and Maya is worried at the thought of dating again.
She reckoned: “It makes me nervous about who I’m going to be with next. If they aren’t in the public eye already, maybe they’re going to be brought into it.”
She tells the September issue of Cosmopolitan, out on July 30: “I was 20 when I got into that. Now life is different. Even social media is bigger. It’s going to be harder to keep things private.”
Two men were jailed for life for the murder of Londoner Rico who was visiting Maya in Bristol when he was killed.
She went on TV’s Crimewatch to appeal for witnesses.
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