It’s the end of an era for fans who wanted a happy ending The love story of Stormzy and Maya Jama. British rapper and Island of Love The British host surprised fans on Wednesday after announcing their decision to go their separate ways. After several years in an on-again, off-again relationship, the couple were just weeks shy of reaching their one-year anniversary their reunion in August 2023. Celebrity breakup announcements are usually boring or explosive, but for Stormzy and Jama, they were diplomatic, honest and sincere — a rare message shared by recent exes.
In joint statement Posted on their Instagram stories, the former couple briefly recapped their dating history and explained how they tried to make their relationship work before calling it quits. “We were laughing while making this plan because we never, ever, in a million years thought we’d be the couple to announce a split,” the light-hearted statement began. While it appears the couple has been reluctant to go public with a private matter, they share that they went ahead with the statement for “clarity’s sake” and to heal in peace as they navigate their split.
“We fell madly in love in 2014, broke up in 2019, and then spent five years maneuvering our way apart,” the post continued. “We decided to try one last time in August 2023 and have spent the past year trying to make it work. However, we recently decided to call it quits. We were 21 and 20 when we first met—both early in our careers—and we spent five years growing up together and then five years apart, so this final effort required a lot to figure out, relearn, and unlearn. We tried, and it didn’t work, and that’s okay.”
Celebrity breakup announcements usually go one of two ways: They can be so PR-filled and insincere that fans can tell a reporter wrote the statement, or they can be messy, with shadows and subtle jabs. However, Stormzy and Jama deviated from the status quo in the best possible way. Unlike most celebrity breakup announcements, it’s clear the couple had a hand in crafting the message. From showing their vulnerability about their current headspace to their transparency about the complexities of dating in their early twenties, the candid note was kind and remarkable. In the post “conscious uncoupling” world of celebrity breakups, it’s common to see celebrities say they’ll stay friends in announcements like this, but this statement makes it seem like these two actually will.
The split comes nearly a year after Stormzy and Jama made their relationship official on Instagram in October 2023 in a post that has since been deleted. However, them the love story began after meeting at an event in London in 2014. They started dating the following year but went public until 2016. Fans then saw the highs and lows of their four-year relationship before their first split in 2019. Rumors of infidelity were released by Stormzy (which he denied), but later admitted 2022 interview with British journalist Louis Theroux that he had made “mistakes” while in conjunction with Jama.
Last summer, the two sparked dating rumors after their breakup they appear to be holding hands while on vacation in Greece. Months later they confirmed their romance with a red carpet appearance. Despite the bumpy ride of their relationship, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between the two, as pointed out in their message to fans.
The couple gave enough information to highlight the effort they put into rekindling their romance without revealing specific details. However, it wouldn’t be a proper celebrity breakup announcement without trying to get past potential false narratives. As public figures, Stormzy and Maya know that the chances of running into each other at the same event or in the same circles are high. Their note also refers to these future occasions, acknowledging their close friendship. As a result, fans are reassured that they ended on good terms, which immediately dispels any future speculation about their relationship status.
“We still think the absolute world of each other,” they wrote. “We still care and respect each other. We’re still grateful for the time we spent together, and we’re still friends and always will be (so if you see us having a little preview on The Brits or something, don’t make a fuss, we’re dawgs).”
The two exes ended their statement by pleading with fans to give them grace as they move forward. Other celebrities should take note. If you’re going to release a public statement after the breakup, this is it.
“Announcing this is so dramatic, but we’re doing it in a way that takes the drama out of the way and avoids speculation and rumours,” the couple concluded. “We kindly ask for the grace to let both of us keep moving and not worry about it (we highly doubt this will work, but again please kindly.)”
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