'She would like to avoid certain situations' - Ruben Dias opens up on relationship with Maya Jama as Man City defender admits they want to be 'normal' couple

Dias has lifted the lid on his relationship with Jama, revealing that the pair do their best to stay as "normal" as possible, despite the fact that he plays for Manchester City and she hosts Love Island. The defender admits he will regularly pop to the shops, such as the Co-Op, but Jama prefers keeping a lower profile. 

Dias told the Telegraph: “I don’t stop myself from doing anything. Maybe if I go to a bowling place or something, maybe I will avoid them just because it might be a bit more intense.

“But I will not stop myself using restaurants or go normal shopping. I’ll go to a Co-op, whatever. I’ll go to a mall if I want. Whatever I need. I mean as normal as I can get, I’ll go everywhere.

“Some people will see me and respectfully come and ask for a picture and I’ll be more than happy to do it. I feel in England, people are quite good when it comes to being respectful. There’s always going to be an exception, anywhere in the world. But I feel like the majority, it’s OK.

“I’ve obviously been caught eating a burger and ‘can you take a picture, please?’ But I feel like I can find a balance, which I’m happy to live with."

Dias accepts that Jama is perhaps more guarded in public because she is a woman, adding: "“I think in a way, maybe she would like to avoid certain kinds of situations just to be more comfortable, also being a woman.

“It’s obviously more difficult to tell someone to stop if they’re being rude. And I’ve kind of got an easier way to do it myself. But being together, I just push it to be normal and we try to be as normal as we can. I feel like we can.

Asked about being under the public spotlight, he concluded: “No, I think that’s the last thing you think about. We are just both aware of it and there’s no way around it. But at the end of the day, you don’t make it about it. You make it about everything else and then that’s an extra you have to deal with and, obviously, be smart with it.”

Dias will next be in action on the pitch when City face Brighton on Sunday in the Premier League.