Did you know that Maya Jama is part Swedish? In honour of the presenter spending her summer in Scandinavia, we delve into her Swedish roots – from childhood fluency to a love of Kalles Kaviar
Yesterday, Maya Jama revealed to her more than three million Instagram followers that she is spending her summer holiday in Sweden, sharing a string of snapshots from the trip and captioning the post in Swedish to say she was having “the best time” back in the country. And it seems some corner of the internet has only just discovered that the presenter is, in fact, part Swedish. While Jama is most closely associated with the UK, the Love Island host and former British Vogue cover star has Swedish roots through her mother, Sadie, who is Scottish and Swedish.
Photo: @mayajama
Photo: @mayajama
Photo: @mayajama
Jama’s connection to Sweden runs deep. During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, the presenter revealed that she once spoke fluent Swedish. But after moving to Bristol, her mum – who largely raised Jama on her own – stopped speaking Swedish at home. Over the years, Jama lost her fluency, though she can still pick up bits and pieces of conversation. She elaborated on her Swedish childhood in a 2017 tweet: “I used to live in Sweden, my brother was born there & I went to nursery there An could speak it as a child, not gna lie I've forgotten most.”
Photo: @mayajama
Her Scandinavian connections extend to some of the region’s most famous exports, too – our favourite being her Skarsgård sandwich back in 2024. Do we think Jama and the Skarsgårds chatted in Swedish? In our minds, absolutely.
But perhaps the most Swedish thing about Jama? Her love of Kalles Kaviar – or, as she described it during her Jonathan Ross appearance, “not the posh caviar, caviar in a paste”. Her other favourite Swedish delicacy? Kanelbullar, of course.