A timeline of Maya Jama and Ben Simmons’ whirlwind year and a half relationship

Love Island host Maya Jama was reportedly sent a legal letter, forcing her to return her £800,000 engagement ring from her ex-fiancé Ben Simmons.

Maya and Ben were engaged for eight months before calling time on their relationship in order to focus on their careers. The couple split up over summer 2022 and Maya was allegedly shocked to receive the request.

The pair were not in a relationship for very long and were spotted together from the first time in 2021. Here’s a look back on Maya Jama and Ben Simmons’ relationship, right up until they broke off their engagement and split up:

Maya and Ben were pictured together in May 2021

There is no exact date as to when they both began dating or even met, but the rumour mill about their relationship began to spin in May 2021. Maya was pictured with Ben in Philadelphia in 2021 and she shared a photo posing in Ben’s kitchen and what seemed to be his red NBA shorts. Maya then shared a photo of herself on a private jet weeks later, which people assumed was on a trip to see Ben.

They were pictured kissing in June 2021

In June 2021, Ben and Maya went official with their relationship during Wimbledon. They were pictured packing on the PDA in the stands watching the tennis. A couple weeks before that moment, they were spotted heading into London for dinner at Sexy Fish in Mayfair.

Maya went Instagram official with Ben after his birthday

In July 2021, just a month after they were seen together at Wimbledon, Maya posted a number of photos of her and Ben seemingly confirming their relationship on Instagram. Maya even surprised Ben with a Mariachi Band for his birthday.

Ben filled a bedroom with rose petals on Valentine’s Day

In February 2022, Ben pulled out all the stops for Valentine’s Day and filled a room with rose petals and bouquets for Maya. Maya shared a photo of a necklace that Ben had gotten her with the date 12th August 2021. She added a ring emoji to the photo which suggests that was the date they got married.

Maya Jama was spotted wearing her engagement ring at the 2022 Brit Awards

During the Brit Awards in February 2022, Maya Jama was spotted wearing her HUGE engagement ring. Mog Gilligan even pointed it out, to which she replied very coyly.

In August 2022, Maya and Ben broke up

At the end of August 2022, the New York Post confirmed that Maya Jama and Ben Simmons’ relationship was no more and they had called off their engagement. A source close to the couple told The Post: “It’s been a difficult time for them. While they both care for each other so much, they truly gave it their all and realise that they just come from two different worlds. They now understand they don’t have the time they thought to dedicate to this relationship.

“After many long nights and hours of heartfelt talks, they finally realised as much as they love each other, their nonstop careers and endless travel had made it incredibly impossible to make it work. They had no idea the challenges they would face when handling all the logistics of making a life together in two countries.”

Love Island 2023 continues at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. For all the latest Love Island news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook.

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Featured image credit via Instagram @mayajama and @bensimmons.