The presenter’s childhood boyfriend Rico Gordon was killed in 2011 when she was a teen. He was just 21 when he was killed by a ricocheting bullet during a fight in Bristol.
Jama, who was 16 at the time, was getting ready to move to London to pursue a career in television.
The star spoke about the tragedy while starring on Channel 4’s Foxy’s Fearless 48 Hours - where stars are put under physical and emotional pressure by SAS instructor Jason Fox.
She said: “So then your whole world just changes as you’re a little girl and you realise, ‘All right, this is adult stuff going on.’ I was devastated, I was so sad.”
Jama also spoke about her father, Hussein, who was sent to prison when she was a toddler for bottling a man.
She added: “I had a situation where my dad was in and out of jail from three. At the time, I didn’t think it bothered me. It was all I knew so that was normal, I don’t like crying about that stuff. I have to laugh or I get emotional.
“I’m OK now, but obviously I’m sad for my little, younger self that I had to deal with that.”
Jama has spoken about her father’s imprisonment before - saying it was not something she “sat at home and cried about” during an interview with Marie Claire.
She said: “Anything that seems tragic or could make people feel sorry for me, I make a joke out of. I guess it’s because I’m OK with it. I’ve accepted it and I don’t want you making me feel like you’re sorry for me.
“If people said, ‘Where’s your dad?’ I’d say, ‘Oh, he’s in jail’ and I’d laugh about it. It wasn’t something I sat at home and cried about.”
Earlier this year, Jama was announced as the new host of BBC Three’s Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star.
The programme was previously hosted by Stacey Dooley.
She was also recently a pundit for Soccer Aid 2021.
