People close to the presenter insist the pair are just good friends, after photographs showed the YouTuber leaving her home the morning after the finale
YouTuber and boxer King Kenny was photographed leaving Maya Jama’s London home on Saturday morning, the day after the Celebrity Traitors final. The pictures, obtained by The Sun, fuelled online speculation about the two contestants, who were each banished as Traitors in the final. Sources close to Jama, 32, say there is nothing romantic between them and that Kenny, 29, has been sleeping on her sofa.
What the pictures show
According to The Sun, Kenny stayed at Jama’s flat for two nights. On Friday he was seen leaving for filming of Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked and later came back to watch the final with her, as it was broadcast. On Saturday he left to appear on Romesh Ranganathan’s Celebrity Traitors reunion show on BBC Radio 2.
Viewers noticed the pair’s closeness on screen, including lingering glances and playful touching, which prompted online talk of a romance.
‘Just friends’
A source close to Jama told The Sun: “Maya and Kenny are just friends. There is nothing romantic between them. Kenny has been firmly on the sofa this week and the pair find it hilarious that their relationship could be anything else.” The source added that Jama is single, that she and Kenny have seen the online chatter and find it funny, and that “romance has not and is not on the cards”.
They said Jama has a group of friends staying, that Kenny has been joining them, and that the group watched the final together and prepared costumes for a Halloween party. The insider described them as “really good friends” with a “strong bond” from the show. No one involved has confirmed a relationship.
Halloween party
Kenny went to Jama’s Halloween party on Saturday night in a bright orange prison-style jumpsuit, The Sun reported. Other guests included comedian Katherine Ryan, actor Sebastian Croft and presenter Hannah Fry. Fry dressed as host Claudia Winkleman, while Ryan recreated one of Jama’s outfits from the series. Jama dressed as Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, in a bald cap, facial hair and a Team GB kit, and The Independent reported that Farah lent her his genuine Olympic outfit and medals. He joked that the resemblance was so good he thought he was looking at himself.
The final
Kenny came within one vote of winning. BBC News reported that his fate was settled after a two-two split between him and James Blunt. It said Croft persuaded Ranganathan to eliminate Kenny, ending the last Traitor’s chance of victory. At the Radio 2 reunion, Kenny said he warned Jama before voting against her, describing it as strategy, not a personal falling-out.
Ranganathan and Croft won, sharing £83,000. Croft’s £41,500 goes to Choose Love and Ranganathan’s to the Refugee Council, according to Radio Times. The BBC said the final drew an average live audience of 11.2 million, with catch-up viewing still to come.
Jama announced on X that she would donate to Action for Children the amount she would have received had she won, and the charity later confirmed it as £83,500. Katherine Woods, its director of fundraising, thanked her.
