Love Island host Maya Jama’s body art tends to mix personal symbolism, deep emotional meaning, and fun, spontaneous pieces. The 31-year-old’s tattoos aren’t just cosmetic, they reflect relationships, identity, heritage, and important emotional milestones in her life
Samantha Bartlett Assistant Editor, Social News
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Maya Jama has a number of inkings on her body (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Love Island host Maya Jama is known for sometimes wearing some outfits as skimpy as some of the contestants on the ITV2 show. So you may have noticed some of her tattoos and inkings on display and wondered what they actually mean.
Maya’s body art tends to mix personal symbolism, deep emotional meaning, and fun, spontaneous pieces. The 31-year-old’s tattoos aren’t just cosmetic, they reflect relationships, identity, heritage, and important emotional milestones in her life. Find out more about her specific inkings below, including her heartbreaking tribute to her late boyfriend Rico Gordon and her cartoon-style matching friendship tattoos.
Heritage tattoo
Love Island fans may have noticed Love Island host Maya got a new heritage tattoo inking in 2025.
The design features the outlines of three countries — Scotland, Sweden, and Somalia — on her upper arm.
This ink celebrates Maya’s mixed cultural heritage — her Scottish and Swedish family roots from her mother’s side and her Somali heritage from her father’s side. It’s a personal and proud emblem of where she comes from.
Lion inking
Another tattoo she has is a lion silhouette inked on her ankle (back of her ankle/foot area).
It represents her star sign Leo and was done on a spontaneous, hangover-inspired trip with a friend.
Maya has joked about the impromptu nature of getting it but said she’s happy with the symbolic connection to her zodiac.
Sharing a clip on TikTok back in January 2024, Maya was seen at a tattoo parlour, as she told fans: “So we have basically decided to get a tattoo on a hangover.
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” I didn’t know what I wanted until about two seconds ago. I’ve decided to get a lion. “
Wearing a pair of blue denim shorts as the artist got to work, Maya smiled despite the pain as she added to her collection in South Africa.
Initials tribute design
The star has the initials” RG “inked beneath her ribcage. This is a personal tribute to her late boyfriend Rico Gordon, who tragically died in 2011.
This tattoo is rarely shown in public photos, but it holds deep significance for her.
Rico, from London, was shot dead after finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time back in July 2011. Maya – who was 16 at the time – was on the phone to him as the nightmare unfolded.
Speaking about her boyfriend’s death, Maya once said:” That’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It was unreal – the sort of thing that happens in films.
“The experience gave me so much motivation to push with my career. At the time, work was the only thing that made me happy, so I just kept on going with it.
” Bad things happen, but you’ve got to try to make good things out of that tough situation. That’s what it taught me. “
Friendship matching tattoos
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Maya also also has small cartoon-style faces with tongues sticking out on her wrists, which are part of a set of matching tattoos with two close friends, which she got inked back in November, 2023. They’re a light-hearted symbol of long-term friendship and bonding.
Maya posted them online at the timewith the caption, ‘ For life gang’.
Ross Garshong, who ended up banished from the BBC reality show in episode four, shared his honest views on popular TV host Claudia Winkleman, and it seems that she’s made quite the impression
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A former contestant on The Traitors has revealed that host Claudia Winkleman made kind gestures to the competitors that “really made a difference”. In touching remarks that surfaced during a recent magazine interview, Ross Garshong, who ended up banished from the BBC reality show in episode four, shared his honest views on the popular host.
Sales executive and personal trainer Ross, 37, told the BBC prior to his arrival at the now-legendary castle that he “applied on a whim”, but it wasn’t meant to be, and he sadly became the third person to be ousted.
Despite his early exit from the show, Ross had nothing but kind words for Claudia, who is also known for her former role on Strictly Come Dancing, disclosing that she had “stayed in touch” with all the cast members.
He told Closer magazine: “Claudia has stayed in touch with all the cast. Just little touches, like namechecking us all at the show’s premiere and following us on Instagram, have really made a difference.”
Ross continued: “I feel like Claudia could be 20% of a d***h***, and we’d still love her – so for her to be 100% lovely is just amazing”!
Once Ross left the programme, it emerged that he was in a relationship with another contestant, Ellie, a fact that fans reportedly deduced from what the Radio Times described as a social media “slip-up”.
Speaking about his exit, he said: “It’s bittersweet. I thought to myself, ‘ Would you rather stay in longer and be in the background, or would you rather burn bright and go out in a blaze of glory? ‘ And I genuinely feel like I did.
” I’m really happy with myself, I don’t think I could have done any better. “
In other Traitors news, Faithful Roxy Wilson recently confirmed on social media that she’s pregnant and shared a snap of her baby bump, a post liked by both Claudia and Strictly’s Dianne Buswell.
In the photo, Roxy’s hair was in a bun, and she donned black-and-white striped pyjamas, captioning the post with two white heart emojis. It prompted fans to leave messages of support.
One person said: “How wonderful, congratulations,” while another added: “Congratulations, beautiful.” A third wrote: “Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy, Roxy.”
In subsequent messages, another person shared:” You’re gonna be the best mumma, “while another said:” Congratulations @roxyw_xo I love seeing u on @thetraitorsukofficial. “
Her own mum, Judy, previously shared the happy update live on ITV’s This Morning. She said: “Can I just say? Roxy’s having a baby! [I’ll be grandma for the] 12th time. It’s due June 12.”
Winterwatch presenter Chris Packham, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in his forties, shed light on a touching routine that he shares with some beloved members of his family
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Chris Packham shared personal insights into the life he shares with some beloved family members (Image: BBC)
Chris Packham has shared personal insights into the life he shares with some beloved members of his family, while touching upon a “disastrous” loss. Chris, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, part of the autism spectrum, in his forties, opened up about the touching routine that he shares with his pet dogs.
In a podcast instalment recorded at his home in the New Forest last year, the Winterwatch star disclosed that he wears the same clothes each time he takes them for a walk.
Chris explained that one of the reasons he likes dogs is that both he and the animals enjoy having a routine. Part of their schedule is a six o’clock treat, and at bedtime, they have “BT” or “biscuit time”.
He told the Homing podcast about this nightly ritual: “I like the process of it being… part of my process of going to bed, is sharing the biscuit with them in that routine. So, those shared routines are very much an integral part of the relationship that I have with them”.
Chris went on to explain how they will then head up to bed, and the “whole thing” is “patterned”, viewing the process as a way to settle into a time of “relaxation”.
TV star Chris noted that any disruption to the routine was “annoying”, and, if it came to it, he would “walk naked over broken glass” to retrieve biscuits if he discovered he didn’t have any.
He was then asked what would happen if his pets passed away, to which he replied: “In the past, it’s been disastrous. I didn’t learn much from losing the bird, and then my first dog died, Max.
” I didn’t have dogs, (I) was never into domestic animals when I was a kid. (I) wasn’t interested. Seriously, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, what’s the point? They’re not interesting. It’s all about wild animals. “
Chris added: “And then I got my first poodle, and he lived until he was 15, Max. And yeah, I mean, every…I’ll be honest with you, every time I lost dogs up until Itchy and Scratchy, it precipitated a significant mental health episode because I hadn’t prepared myself.”
He went on to reveal that it was” catastrophic”, and when his dog, Fish, passed away, he had to have therapy and became” suicidal”, but told himself that he would have more dogs and couldn’t be in this” position “again.
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In July 2021, the naturalist spoke to the Radio Times about his dogs, Sid and Nancy, revealing that he bonds with his dogs” more tightly “than he does with people.
He said:” I bond to them more tightly than I do people. Though Sid and Nancy have found a new place in my heart, the hole left by Itchy and Scratchy is still there. It’s quite hard to talk about. “
Dame Prue Leith has announced she will be stepping down as a judge on Great British Bake Off after almost a decade
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Dame Prue Leith candidly suggested she doesn’t believe she has “much longer” left. It came shortly before the 86-year-old announced she was quitting The Great British Bake Off after almost a decade.
Dame Prue previously revealed she wanted to spend as much time as she can with husband John Playfair. The baker says it led to her relying on John whenever she travels for work.
During an appearance on Holly Rubenstein’s The Travel Diaries podcast last year, Dame Prue admitted: “I haven’t got much longer, I’m 85, I want to spend as much time as I can with him.”
It led to Prue asking her agent to request John travels with her. And while she says he’s not her “carer”, she jokes it is “pretty close”.
She continued: “And so, if we are filming abroad, or like next week, we’re going to New York, because I’ve got to publicise the American baking show, then I’m now old enough for my agent to say ‘I’m sorry, but she has to ring her husband, because she’s 85, she needs someone to carry the bags’ she doesn’t quite say ‘she needs a carer’ but it’s pretty close. “
Earlier during the podcast, Dame Prue spoke affectionately about her husband, highlighting his modest character and absence of vanity. She told listeners: “One of the wonderful things about him is that he is totally without ego, he doesn’t feel threatened by the fact that I have a higher profile than he does, when I introduce him (to people) he always just says ‘I’m the handbag carrier, I’m her chauffeur’. “
Dame Prue married John in 2016, after losing her first husband, Rayne Kruger, who passed away aged 80 in 2002.
The pair had two children – Li-Da Kruger, whom they adopted from Cambodia, and Danny Kruger.
On a different matter regarding her youthful looks at 85, Dame Prue disclosed: “I wish I could say it is from some wonderful thing I do, but if I look good or at least younger than I am, then it’s got to be at least because I sleep well and I eat well, and I am happy, when you’re unhappy, you don’t eat well. “
Dame Prue’s distinguished career in cooking commenced aged 20 when she signed up for the Cordon Bleu Cookery School.
Following her training there, she launched her first major venture into the food sector by establishing her own restaurant, Leith’s, in Notting Hill, London, aged 29.
Her professional path has transformed her into a cherished television personality and accomplished writer of multiple cookery books. In 2017, she assumed one of her highest-profile positions as a judge on the Great British Bake Off, taking over from Dame Mary Berry.
In a statement on Instagram this afternoon, Dame Prue revealed she was stepping down from the show. It comes after she missed the 2024 celebrity edition with close friend Lady Caroline Waldegrave judging alongside Paul Hollywood.
During her spell on the show, Prue has worked with current presenters Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond as well as previous hosts Sandi Toksvig and Matt Lucas.
She said: “Bake Off has been a fabulous part of my life for the last nine years, I have genuinely loved it and I’m sure I’ll miss working with my fellow judge Paul, Alison and Noel and the teams at Love Productions and Channel 4.
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“But now feels like the right time to step back (I’m 86 for goodness sake! ), there’s so much I’d like to do, not least spend summers enjoying my garden. “
She added: “Whoever joins the team, I’m sure they’ll love it as much as I have. I feel very lucky to have been part of it. “
The United States is expected to host a signing ceremony on Thursday for President Donald Trump’s “board of peace” (BoP) on the margins of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump, who is to meet global leaders this week at the WEF, is pitching the board as the next phase of his administration’s 20-point peace plan and a mechanism to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the territory since October 2023.
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But while the BoP was first introduced last year with a specific two-year United Nations Security Council mandate to manage post-war Gaza, its official charter makes no direct reference to Gaza at all.
Instead, the document outlines a sweeping mandate that appears to challenge existing diplomatic frameworks, advocating a move away from established international institutions on the premise that they have failed to maintain global peace.
Invitations to join the BoP were sent this week to dozens of countries, several of which have confirmed receipt and signalled their willingness to participate. But others have so far been reluctant to join. Observers argued this reluctance of many invited states to make immediate commitments reflects growing concern that the Trump administration is seeking to use the BoP’s expansive charter to bypass, or even replace, the UN.
Here is what we know so far about the board, its structure and mandate, the countries that have agreed to join, those still undecided and why hesitation remains widespread.
What is the ‘board of peace’?
First proposed in September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, the board was initially framed as a mechanism to support the administration, reconstruction and economic recovery of the Gaza Strip.
The White House formally announced the creation of the BoP last week. However, the organisation’s 11-page charter, comprising eight chapters and 13 articles, does not mention Gaza once.
Instead, it proposes a broad mandate for a new international organisation that “seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.
The governance structure has three layers: the BoP, an executive board and a chairman with sweeping authority.
According to the White House, a “founding executive council” sits at the top. The board of peace votes on budgets, policy and senior appointments while the executive board, which consists of seven members, is responsible for implementing the mission.
Members of the executive board include former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The chairman is Trump himself. He serves as the final authority on the interpretation of the charter and holds veto power over key decisions, including membership removal and executive board actions.
Board members “will oversee a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long-term success”, the White House said, including “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation”.
Below the founding council is the “Gaza executive board”, tasked with regional coordination and supported by representatives from Arab countries. Its mandate is to help “support effective governance” in Gaza.
At the bottom of the hierarchy is the “national committee for the administration of Gaza” (NCAG), which is to be led by Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority deputy minister.
Alongside these civilian structures is a military pillar, led by US General Jasper Jeffers as commander of the “international stabilisation force” with a mandate that includes “permanent disarmament”.
Membership in the BoP is limited to states invited by the chairman. Member states are represented by heads of state or senior government officials and must contribute to operations in line with their domestic laws.
While general membership terms last three years, this limit does not apply to states contributing more than $1bn in the first year, which would grant them a permanent seat.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump praised the initiative. “I wish the United Nations could do more. I wish we didn’t need a board of peace, but the United Nations – and, you know, with all the wars I settled, United Nations never helped me on one war,” he told reporters.
Which countries have been invited and which have agreed to join?
Soon after the announcement, invitations were sent to dozens of countries across the world.
Leaders of at least 50 nations have confirmed receiving invitations, including close US allies such as the UK, France, Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Australia.
US adversaries China and Russia were also invited.
Israel confirmed it will join the BoP after approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s office announced on Wednesday that he would participate in the initiative despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) having issued a warrant for his arrest over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
His decision comes even after earlier criticism from his office over the composition of the executive committee, which includes Turkiye, a regional rival.
Netanyahu’s participation, despite the ICC warrant issued in 2023 accusing him of overseeing crimes against humanity in Gaza, is likely to intensify concerns about the board’s objectivity, particularly given Trump’s central role in controlling its membership and direction.
Pakistan also confirmed on Wednesday that it would participate, according to a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Pakistan expresses the hope that with the creation of this framework, concrete steps will be taken towards the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, as well as reconstruction of Gaza,” the statement said.
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said on Wednesday that the country’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, would join the board.
Other countries that have agreed to join include the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Argentina, Hungary and Belarus.
Andreas Krieg, associate professor of security studies at King’s College London, said countries joining the BoP were motivated by “access and leverage”.
“They will want a direct line into the White House; a seat in the room where contracts, corridors, crossings and timelines are decided; and a chance to shape what ‘post-Hamas’ means before facts harden on the ground,” he told Al Jazeera, adding that participation also amounts to “buying insurance” against future exclusion.
Filippo Boni, a senior lecturer in politics and international studies at the Open University in the UK, said invited states face a stark choice.
“Either join the board and undermine the UN or refuse to join,” he said, “and potentially face tariffs from the US.”
Which countries have rejected the BoP?
At least four countries – France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden – have confirmed they will not join. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed the decision to reporters in Davos on Wednesday.
Denmark is already under pressure from Washington over Greenland. Trump has repeatedly suggested the US should acquire the semiautonomous Danish territory, even threatening force if Copenhagen refuses – although in his speech to the WEF on Wednesday, Trump said he would not use force.
Why are countries hesitant to be part of the BoP?
Several other countries across the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia, Egypt, Japan and Thailand, have also been invited but have yet to make a decision.
Most of Europe – including US allies like the UK, Germany and Italy – have not said whether they will join the board.
China and Russia haven’t confirmed participation in the board either.
For many nations, including China, that reluctance isn’t surprising, Boni suggested. Several of these countries advocate for UN principles and laws as the guiding pillars of international relations. Beijing, meanwhile, “has proposed its own global governance framework through the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), so it will likely move cautiously on Trump’s proposed plan”, he said. Launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2025, the GGI is a governance framework aimed at promoting multilateralism although Beijing has not outlined many specifics.
Displaced Palestinian children play at Bilal Mosque in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on January 20, 2026 [Haitham Imad/EPA]
Krieg said states choosing to stay out will still seek to maintain close ties with Washington through bilateral channels, defence cooperation, trade and discreet humanitarian support.
At the same time, “they will also keep insisting that anything involving troops and legal authority should run through the UN because that gives them cover and limits the sense that they are working for an American project,” he said.
Masood Khan, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US and UN, said the invitation for his country to join the board reflects growing international recognition of Islamabad’s stature. But he warned that the initiative’s success depends more on politics than on its structure.
“As long as President Trump’s political authority remains intact, the structure is likely to function,” he said, noting that the top tiers are filled with figures closely aligned with Trump.
Trump began his second term as president a year ago and is set to remain in office until January 2029, a year longer than the BoP’s UN mandate.
Boni said any countries willing to pay $1bn for a permanent seat would make that decision based more on “a political choice than an economic one”.
“The choice is to either challenge multilateralism and the rule-based international order with the UN at its centre or to continue abiding by it, thereby refusing to endorse US leadership under this new framework,” he said.
Krieg suggested that some wealthy states may see value in paying for influence although even they may proceed cautiously.
“Beyond the Gulf, a country like Japan could afford it, but I would expect Tokyo to be cautious about a paywall model that weakens UN norms. India can afford it too, but Delhi rarely pays to join someone else’s club unless the return is concrete and immediate,” he said.
Is the BoP a replacement for the UN?
Perhaps the most serious concern surrounding the BoP is its potential role as a rival to the UN, which has served as the cornerstone of global diplomacy for eight decades despite multiple failings – and repeated violations of its rules by powerful states like the US and its allies like Israel.
But Khan rejected the idea that the UN’s failure to act decisively in Gaza reflected an institutional collapse
“The UN was prevented from acting. It did not choose inaction,” he said, alluding to repeated US vetoes against Israel that paralysed the Security Council.
Trump was a vocal critic of the UN during his first term from 2017 to 2021 and has cut funding to several UN-affiliated bodies during his second stint in the Oval Office.
But Boni pointed out that while the UN Charter enshrined principles such as the equal rights of large and small states after World War II, the board of peace charter is essentially a list of rules to join the club “where no such principles seem to be present”.
Krieg said fears that the BoP could hollow out the UN are well founded.
“You do not need to abolish the UN to hollow it out. You can drain attention, drain money and create a habit where the big calls move to ad hoc bodies chaired by major powers,” he said.
Trump’s BoP poses that risk, he added.
“The UN still carries something the board cannot easily replicate – near-universal membership, legal standing and the machinery of agencies that can operate at scale. The risk is that the board turns the UN into a service provider that takes instructions rather than sets terms,” Krieg said.
Looking for an affordable solution to keeping laundry dry through the winter weather? This home gadget could be just the ticket as it lands on sale for £70 off
Meghan Coon Shopping writer
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Heated clothes rack that ‘ dries clothes well ‘ during wet weather now has £70 off (Image: Debenhams)
Unless you are lucky enough to have a tumble dryer, keeping laundry from piling up can be a challenge in the winter as there’s no cheap and effective way of getting clothes dry during rainy spells. That’s where shoppers may have found the ideal solution: a heated drying rack that dries your laundry inside your home and can be easily folded and stored away when not in use.
Plus, a home gadget like this doesn’t have to break the bank: the Alivio Electric Heated Clothes Dryer is currently on sale at Debenhams for a whopping 68% off, saving shoppers nearly £70.
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Touted as the “ultimate solution for all your laundry drying needs”, this electric drying rack is designed to make your life easier and your clothes dryer than ever before during the wetter seasons. Boasting cutting-edge electric heating technology, this electric drying rack comes armed with 20 efficient heating rods that are strategically placed throughout the rack to gently and evenly dry your laundry in no time.
When not in use, this drying rack easily collapses for compact storage, making it perfect for homes of all sizes and offering an affordable and more reliable solution than washing lines and tumble dryers alike. Plus, its sleek design and neutral colour scheme ensure it seamlessly fits with any interior decor.
What’s more, the dryer rack is not only practical but also eco-friendly. By utilising heated air instead of traditional tumble drying methods, it significantly reduces energy consumption and your carbon footprint, thus offering a more affordable solution to drying laundry on a regular basis over other traditional methods.
Normally retailing for a steep £99.99 at Debenhams, this electric drying rack is currently reduced to £31.99 thanks to this January sale.
For similar models, Lakeland is currently offering its best-selling Dry: Soon 3-Tier Heated Clothes Airer for £159, while Amazon has an affordable alternative with this Generic 50Hz/230W Wing Electric Heated Clothes Foldable Airer Stable Dryer, which is currently selling for £29.49.
Plenty of shoppers have sung the praises of this Debenhams drying rack, with one shopper bestowing 5 out of 5-stars, saying: “I am so pleased with my airer, it suits and works well for two people. In wet weather, it dries well, off the line, it airs in a very short time. Pennies to run”.
Another buyer beams: “Works perfectly, cheaper than the central heating or tumble dryer. Wish it was easier to collapse and put up though”.
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And more accolades come from this reviewer who raves: “Very cautious about the clothes dryer at first. Used it again today and it is marvellous, I have found that if you lay the clothes on it and not too many, they dry really quickly. Really pleased with it and would recommend to anyone”.
