Maya Jama Speaks About ‘Devastation’ Of Boyfriend Being Shot Dead

Maya Jama has spoken out about the sheer 'devastation' of her boyfriend being shot dead when she was a teenager, having been encouraged to tap into the inner strength she used to get through it to complete a series of high-octane challenges with Jason 'Foxy' Fox. WARNING - CLIP CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE:

When she was 16, Jama's boyfriend was a 21-year-old man called Rico Gordon, who was shot and killed outside a pub in her hometown of Bristol after getting caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs.

Two men from rival gangs were later found guilty of the fatal shooting, and were handed life sentences.

Jama speaks about the pain of Gordon's death in a new episode of Foxy's Fearless 48 Hours, where she faces three petrifying challenges that have been designed by Fox to push her boundaries - including bungee jumping from a 75-metre-high transporter bridge.

Channel 4

Before Jama begins her training, she sits down with the SAS: Who Dares Wins star for dinner - having knocked up some spaghetti bolognese to be sandwiched into a couple of oven pizzas folded in half.

When Foxy asks Jama what she's been through in life that has given her resilience, Jama replies with the word 'sadness', going on to explain how she had an 'abnormal upbringing'.

She says: "My dad was in and out of jail. At the time I genuinely didn't think it bothered me, I didn't think it was a problem. It was all I knew so that was normal.

"And then I got to 16, met a boy, was going to move to London. He was killed in the summer that I was supposed to move to London."

BBC Crimewatch

She adds: "I was devastated. I was so sad."

Tearing up, she continues: "I'm just, like, a mess, but I'd just rather not process loads of stuff and just keep going, rather than dwell on stuff that you can't change.

"I think when you don't have any other option, you just do. Do you know what I mean?"

Foxy then tells her: "No one is geared up to know what to do in any situation."

Channel 4

Jama agrees: "You don't know how strong you are until being strong is your only option, basically. You wouldn't know how you're going to handle something until you're in it."

Foxy explains the reason why he asked her about past trauma is to help with her tasks.

"When we're having a tough moment tomorrow, I'll be like, 'Right, you need to think about this, remember that time this happened'," he says.

"Because nothing's as bad as what you've been through - nothing that we're going to do in the next 48 hours is as bad as you've been through."

Laughing, Jama adds: "Yeah, but it doesn't mean it's not scary at the same time!"

Channel 4

After mentally preparing for the nerve-wracking 48 hours ahead, Jama goes on to abseil down a 40-metre cliff to help get her used to heights, before taking a 100-metre zipline across jagged rocks and sea.

Eventually, she takes on her third and final challenge, which sees her brave a bungee jump from a huge transporter bridge in Newport - admitting she's never felt so 'scared' in her entire life.

Watch Foxy's Fearless 48 Hours With Maya Jama tonight at 9pm on Channel 4. It will also be available to stream on All4 after.

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Celebrity, Jason Fox, Foxy's Fearless 48 Hours