Huge TV star to host Brit Awards for first time amid romance with rap icon
MAYA JAMA is now so in demand she’s fast becoming the queen of showbiz.
The unstoppable star rejuvenated the Love Island franchise by taking the reins and slayed the uber-snobby fashion world by landing her own Vogue cover and presenting the British Fashion Awards.
Now I can reveal she will host her first-ever Brit awards, alongside two other mystery presenters.
The charismatic presenter will be the first female host since 2017 — when Emma Willis and Dermot O’Leary had the honours.
Bravo.
It comes after Maya, who is dating rapper Stormzy, stole the show with a red-carpet reporting role when main host Mo Gilligan was in charge in 2022.
A well-placed insider said: “Maya is the perfect host for the Brit awards this year and has the energy for the all-star show.
“She is the hottest presenter in the UK right now and is ideal for the new ensemble presenting cast.
“There has been six years of solo male hosts, so it’s time to mix up the formula and there is a lot of buzz about the new line-up.”
Brit Award organisers carried out a shake-up for the event, which takes place on Saturday, March 3, at London’s O2 Arena, following a diversity row last year.
Then, it came to light that no female artist had been nominated for the Best Artist category.
Last week, organisers admitted gender balance had been re-addressed following last year’s controversial decision.
Maggie Crowe, director of events at BPI, which organises the event, said: “We shared our upset that no women or R&B artists were represented last year.
“We consulted with our advisory group and we thought long and hard about moving forward.”
I’m glad to see Maya leading the charge — and I bet she will be serving LEWKS on the night.
She’ll Rayes the roof
I CAN reveal the Brits will be an even bigger deal for seven-times nominated Raye.
As well as getting the huge number of nods, she will also be singing on the night itself and has been putting tog- ether a special performance.
A source said: “This year’s Brit Awards will include a celebration of everything Raye has achieved.
“Her performance will be extra- special and something different on the night. It means a lot to her as she has worked so hard to get to this point in her career.”
It comes after I revealed last weekend that Dua Lipa will be performing at the ceremony and Kylie Minogue will be performing for the first time in 16 years.
A strip teaser by Neil
NEIL Morrissey joked he could give Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan a run for his money – by dancing naked to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s hit Murder On The Dancefloor just like the movie scene.
Sophie performed her 2001 hit at the Hard Rock Cafe in London and afterwards Men Behaving Badly actor Neil said: “I was tempted to emulate the movie but I kept it in my pants.”
Even Sophie made a cheeky reference to it, adding: “Dance with your clothes on, or clothes off.”
Barry’s naked dance to the song at the end of Saltburn became the most talked-about scene of 2023.
Barry, who played scheming Oliver Quick alongside Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike, said: “Dancing around in the nude . . . I mean, we all do it, don’t we?
“We all do it at home, we all do it in the shower. We all act silly when we’re on our own. We sing out loud. We dance. So that I could relate with.”
Each to their own, Barry.
Prue in Vegas
GREAT British Bake Off judge Prue Leith is heading for a Las Vegas residency.
She said of plans to go to Sin City with her one-woman show: “I do want to take my tour to Vegas. I could be the new Adele.
“I thought Las Vegas was all about showgirls and I can’t believe some English cook is going to interest them, but they do love Bake Off.”
At a gala night of the Back To The Future musical in London, she added: “Plans are under way.”
Mini-Elvis
KING COOPER, one of the UK’s youngest Elvis Presley tribute acts, has vowed to perform in the legend’s home town of Memphis.
The ten-year-old from Paignton,
Devon, said: “It’s my dream to sing in America and make it big. My favourite Elvis song is Jailhouse Rock and I’ve loved singing like him since I discovered him on YouTube.”
In March, he performs at If I Can Dream – The Great British Elvis Tribute Contest.
Liz’s drop-bread looks
LIZ HURLEY has revealed the secret to her age-defying figure is not green juices and fasting . . . but baking a loaf of bread every day.
Sharing her tips on Instagram, she said: “My best investment was a bread maker and I make a loaf a day. I also make cakes every weekend.
“Other than diet, my other advice is to move more. I don’t go to the gym or do any set exercise but I’m extremely active. There endeth the sermon.”
But the actress and model said she was strict when it came to buying food.
She added: “I count junk food as anything that contains any ingredient that I don’t have in my own kitchen.
“That includes ‘diet’ and ‘low-fat’ everything, all ready meals, all bought sandwiches, cakes and biscuits and all sodas.”
I will happily swap low-fat yoghurts for homemade bread if it means I look like Liz when I am 58.
Here Klums the bride
HEIDI KLUM looks ready to walk down the aisle in this veiled outfit, which she wore on a wedding shoot for Germany’s Next Top Model in LA.
It came as the model shared a clip on Instagram of the video to her new single, Sunglasses At Night.
She wrote: “Keep dreaming kids and don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.”
Words to live by, Heidi . . .
Jason’s hooked on show
JASON Manford loved playing Captain Hook so much in panto, he’s writing a musical about the pirate villain’s early life.
He’s even roped in Take That’s Gary Barlow to help with the songs.
The comedian, who starred in Peter Pan at Manchester Opera House in 2022, is also working with West End singer Joe Stilgoe on the project, which is due to launch next year.
A source tells me: “Jason loved playing Captain Hook so much that he started researching the idea of writing a musical about his early life.
“He reached out to Gary, who was delighted to offer his guidance, and it’s now in the development stages.
“The production will be family friendly and Jason is keen to star in it himself, as he is an accomplished singer.”
Kate: My gym fun with Rio
KATE FERDINAND has revealed she tries to give husband Rio a run for his money in the gym – but without much luck.
The former Towie star, who gave birth to daughter Shae in July, said: “Rio and I always have a blast exercising together.
“It’s great to have a bit of that friendly competition while working out – though I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to catch up with him in the gym.”
Kate, who has launched a women’s activewear collection with Tesco’s F&F, said: “You are going to have days where you don’t feel like working out, and that’s OK.
“With that being said, I do think it’s important for new mums to take the time to prioritise themselves and get their bodies moving.”