Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott reportedly called it quits after five turbulent years of dating, two weeks after fans speculated about a potential engagement.
Along with their two cats, Cedric and Albus, the reality TV stars had established a life for themselves in a lavish £1 million London townhouse. They sounded unmatched in every way to each other for a long time. Fans adored their common sense of humor and frequently relatable domestic moments because they have always shown support for one another’s careers.
Sadly, the pair have now made the “incredibly difficult decision” to part ways after their choice to spend the festive season apart, which sparked rumours of a crack in their relationship. The Mirror examines their relationship in the past, including a split that produced a million memes…
First move
In the first few days of 2019, documentarian Zara and Sam made the first move by sliding into his Instagram DMs. After their separate breakups with Sophie Habboo and Adam Collard, Zara and Sam were both nursing broken hearts at the time.
Sam, who was won over by Zara initiating a connection, opened up about their early messages while appearing on the 2023 run of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! When quizzed by fellow campmate Fred Sirieix, well known for creating sparks in the First Dates restaurant, Sam shared: “Fred, I’m going to be honest with you, mate… it was really romantic actually”.
He continued: “She slid into my DMs. I like a few of her photos just to let her know I was alive, because this is so lame. Then she followed me on Instagram. I was actually on a job, and she replied to one of my Instagram Stories and she went, ‘ Your story’s really loud! ‘ I sent her an emoji of a lemon, and she went, ‘ What’s that? ‘ I wen’t ‘ Sorry, I couldn’t find an opening lime'”.
Making it official
Around a month after beginning their relationship, the once-happy couple officially signed up for Instagram. Fans were thrilled after they shared a sweet snap of themselves together, captioned, “I can think of worse Saturdays”, and were quick to wish the pair all the best.
It appeared to be a blissful first summer for the pair, who continued to share loved-up snaps, including one that Zara captioned: “So grateful for you”, finished with a love heart. revealing their blossoming romance in an interview with OK! magazine at the time, Sam said: “Do you know what, I don’t want to say too much, but we’ve been on a few dates, it’s been a few weeks now.
” We’re not exclusive because everyone in this game rushes everything! There’s no need to. If you rush into things, sometimes you make a mistake, and it gets too intense… she’s a really, really lovely girl, and she’s incredibly beautiful. “
Made In Chelsea days
Zara and her new beau, who was already a fan favorite, joined Made in Chelsea in October that year. Zara had to deal with the criticism that she didn’t “fit” with her co-stars and would have made a better role in The Only Way Is Essex.
Zara argued in an interview with OK! that “you want to get to know Sam, and he’s undoubtedly one of the favorites on the show, so do you want to completely exclude his relationship from that?”
“And if it were, it wouldn’t reflect reality,” according to the author, “so I think people get their wires crossed a lot with it, which is frustrating, but I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s one of those situations where I feel secure that I’m nice and haven’t offended anyone.
” Everybody on the show likes me, and I get on with everyone and all of the cast members, so from outside of the show, watching it looking in and being negative, it doesn’t really faze me that much. “
Cheating admission
In November 2019, shortly after becoming a Made In Chelsea regular, Zara made an appearance on The X Factor: Celebrity, during which time she cheated on Sam with music industry executive Brahim Fouradi.
In dramatic scenes from the E4 reality show, Zara admitted to being unfaithful and would later produce a number of memes and reaction pictures. In the now iconic episode, aired in 2020, Zara can be seen begging Sam’s forgiveness on a park bench, telling him:” I have no justification for anything, the way that I’ve behaved, the way that I’ve acted, the things that I’ve done. It’s just disgusting. I simply want you to forgive me.
Unmoved, an initially furious Sam replied:” There’s absolutely no way, because how can there ever be a way. I can’t even trust this. “Filled with clear regret, Zara then wept as she pleaded:” No, stop. Please stop, please. You can, you can. You can do it, you can, please. “
Eventually, Sam found it within himself to forgive and forget, and the couple gave things another go. Explaining why he chose to reunite with Zara in a subsequent interview with the MailOnline, Sam revealed:” I believe in forgiveness. I am aware of the context, and I believe that anyone who forgives can’t move forward in any situation. You can heal when you forgive. When you forgive and move past the other person, you can only heal.
Proposal rumours
Sam and Zara broke up before their recent break-up, sparking rumors of an engagement with a raunchy Instagram post shared on December 14 to celebrate Zara’s 28th birthday. Showing great affection, Sam wrote:” My best friend, and soul mate…. some would say my person. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me forever happy birthday. I’m so in love with you, and how much have I missed you in the last month? Here’s to another amazing year with you. “
One follower responded with a ring emoji along with question marks, while another suggested, “That’s the perfect dress for you to get engaged,” while another speculated that an exciting announcement might be coming soon. “A third commented:” You should get her a ring………… just saying!! “A third added:” OK SAMWISE BUT WHERE’S THE RING. “
Sad split
After separating for five years during Christmas and the New Year, it became clear that Sam and Zara had decided to call it a day. A source told the Mail Online:” Sam and Zara have ended their relationship. They still care about one another and have a lot of love for one another despite making an extremely difficult decision to part ways.
They have split and will be concentrating on their individual careers going forward into 2025, according to the statement. No controversy or conflict between them has arisen; it is simply the result of a difficult year, during which they both had to devote a lot of time to their own projects.
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia. banim@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on Threads, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok.
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