Maya Jama used to feel "embarrassed" about her upbringing.
The 25-year-old TV and radio presenter was raised on a council estate in Bristol, South West England, and during her younger years, Maya felt reluctant to acknowledge her modest upbringing.
She shared: "I used to be so shy or embarrassed for anyone to find out if I came out from a council house, or if my dad’s been to jail … and actually that’s what makes me different."
Now, Maya is keen to encourage young people to be open and honest about their own upbringings.
She said: "I want people to know [those things], so that if there are other people that are in the same situation I was in, they can be like … ‘I thought there was no way I’d be able to do that, but she’s done it.’"
Maya stressed the importance of being true to yourself in the latest Nando’s ‘Booth Truths’ episode, which also featured Aitch, Jay1 and Jasmine Jobson.
The ‘Top Boy’ actress has had to overcome personal heartbreak prior to realising her professional ambitions.
But according to Jasmine, losing out on various roles has proven to be a blessing in disguise.
She explained: "The biggest downfall throughout the whole of my upcoming career would probably be when my foster carer passed away in 2014, because that basically meant that I lost a mum. I lost a household, I lost a family.
"But all at the same time, I also lost ‘X-Men’ and ‘Star Wars’ – I ended up losing both of them. I would have been working alongside John Boyega … And I would have been Storm in ‘X-Men’. Life just completely changed from there."
Nando’s ‘Booth Truths’ is a series that brings together some of the UK’s most recognisable faces to talk life and banter over PERi-PERi Chicken.
Maya Jama felt ’embarrassed’ about her upbringing
