Showbiz fans have been left surprised after it emerged that Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott had been spotted on dates.
Former One Direction singer Louis, 33, and documentary maker Zara, 28, are quite an unlikely couple considering Louis’ previous comments about Love Island – on which Zara starred on in 2018 – and its stars.
When Zara’s season ended, he tweeted, ‘Can I just say, thank f**k love island is over!’
Louis later claimed that show was ‘not a good message for the younger people watching.’
And in a 2019 interview, he said, ‘I've got no time for Love Island, I absolutely despise that show. Do you know what's bad? What's bad is one year, one year I got pulled in – this is my excuse anyway – I got pulled in to watch it, maybe I put a few tweets out about it. Honestly, it's a tragic show. I've got no time for it or anyone on it.’
But it seems the What Makes You Beautiful singer – who shares nine-year-old son Freddie with stylist Biana Jungwirth – has changed his tune as photos have emerged of him enjoying a date with Zara, who split from reality star Sam Thompson in December.
How did Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott meet?
It’s unclear how Louis met Zara, but fans of the singer think it has something to do with his sisters.
Louis’ younger sisters, 20-year-old twins Daisy and Phoebe, are known to be big reality TV fans and are currently making a documentary, leading fans to believe the new couple’s connection has come from them.
Both Daisy and Phoebe – and older sister Lottie – already followed Zara on Instagram, but fans noticed that Louis has started following her more recently.
A One Direction fan wrote on Reddit, ‘I’ve heard about the link with a documentary as well. Zara has been involved in a recent change in the law as it’s now illegal to threaten to share images without someone’s consent. I can see something like that appealing to Louis, even though it’s revenge porn that is the basis of Zara’s law change.’
A second added, ‘I also heard rumours that she's part of the rumoured series the twins are trying to get going, so fingers crossed it's more about that.'
While a third said, ‘I think there is a documentary about the Tomlinsons being produced since the sisters are interested in being England’s version of the Kardashians. Zara has worked on documentaries, maybe she is involved with that.’
It was reported in May 2024 that Daisy and Phoebe had filmed a pilot for a documentary series following their lives and were in the process of pitching it to networks.
Where did Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott go on a date?
Louis and Zara were pictured on a date in a hotel restaurant in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
The pair were seen dining in Fishers, a restaurant attached to the hotel The Suffolk, with an onlooker claiming they shared the whole brill and chips – a dish which costs £100 – and a number of sides.
A fellow diner told The Sun, ‘Louis and Zara were having a great time. They were touching hands over the table and looked so happy and relaxed. They had the brill, the whole fish, and shared it with sides and Zara had a few cocktails. Louis was really making her giggle and they chatted for ages.’
Why did Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson break up?
Zara and Sam have never given a reason for their split, but a source told The Sun in January that Zara called off the relationship as she ‘never felt like she was the priority with Sam.’
The former couple are yet to publicly discuss their split, but Sam admitted he had had a ‘tough month’ during an episode of his podcast, Staying Relevant, which he co-hosts with Pete Wicks, in January.
Samuel McManus is a senior content creator for Bauer Media, writing celebrity news and features across five of the company’s brands – heat, Closer, Grazia, Bella and Yours. Samuel has worked at Bauer Media since November 2024.