Maya Jama reveals surprising meaning behind illegal tattoo she got at 15

Maya Jama has revealed the secret meaning behind a tattoo she got illegally at the age of 15.

The Love Island presenter, 31, got her first inking as a teen; an Arabic message running down her left thigh.

Maya recalled how Rihanna also had a tattoo on her thigh, which inspired her to get a similar one.

© Maya Jama / Instagram

Speaking in a behind-the-scenes photoshoot with Office magazine, Maya said: "I was, oh my God, I was 15 and me and my friends went to this lady’s house in Bristol and she had a parrot flying around the room. And it was definitely not legal for her to do it, but she tattooed all of us."

It is illegal to tattoo anyone under the age of 18 in the UK and those who do could face a fine of £1000 and lose their registration.

Maya added: "Mine says in Arabic, 'Love like you’ve never been hurt and dance like nobody’s watching.' And I feel like I’ve lived by that. Two things I do! I have quite a lot of tattoos but I realised most of them you only see if I’m in a bikini or underwear, because they’re all rib, hip to thigh."

© Maya Jama / Instagram

In the same interview, Maya revealed another tattoo hides the name of an ex-boyfriend. The star has previously dated footballer Reuben Dias, rapper Stormzy and US basketball player Ben Simmons.

Pointing to an inking on her wrist, she said: "This one’s quite cute. It’s a little silly face. I once got a matching infinity sign with someone, and then when that ended, my friends just joined in making it little emojis."

Maya's hot girl summer 

Maya had the ultimate hot girl summer this year, basking in the sunshine as she films the latest series of Love Island. 

The starlet enjoyed a 48-hour trip to Morocco in between her filming commitments and, unsurprisingly, served as serious summer style inspiration. Taking to her Instagram account, the TV star, was a vision in a 'photo dump' from her sun-soaked jaunt. 

© Maya Jama / Instagram

One of the stand-out snaps showed the brunette bombshell slipping into a black silk dress adorned with cream lace around the flattering plunging V-neckline. 

Posing at what appeared to be a poolside restaurant, Maya beamed for the camera in the slinky ensemble, her raven-hued tresses styled impeccably sleek. 

The trip was likely a much-needed break for Maya, who recently split with her footballer boyfriend, Ruben Dias.