It’s always sad when a beloved celebrity couple calls time on their relationship – especially one that invited fans in as much as Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott did.
As two former reality stars turned broadcasting personalities, Sam and Zara have built up a loyal fan base over the past decade – half of which they’ve spent together. As well as thousands of viral videos, an iconic Made in Chelsea reunion in 2020 (‘you caaan’) and a shared love of Pete Wicks, Sam and Zara's relationship was aspirational for a lot of their fans.
They were also each other's biggest cheer leaders. When Zara went on Strictly in 2023, Sam sat front row with her face printed on his t-shirt. When Sam won I’m A Celeb that same year, Zara hosted a watch party at their house with all their family and friends and broke down in tears. They spoke often about their future together and referred to each other as their ‘forever’ person.
However, despite posting each other on social media in mid-December, by the end of the month reports suggested that they had secretly broken up. While neither of them has confirmed or denied the news, it’s looking increasingly likely that the rumours might be true.
So, what went wrong? While no one outside of a relationship can ever fully understand the minutiae of how it worked or why it didn’t, especially those who only knew the couple from what they saw online, reports are emerging that claim there were a few signs of things to come.
Many are pointing to when Sam and Zara first got together in 2019 and broke up later that year when it came to light that Zara had cheated on him with music executive Brahim Fourad, when she took part in The X Factor: Celebrity. The saga played out on Made in Chelsea and a heartbroken Zara went to extreme lengths (sharing a photo montage of their time together and an open letter on social media) to get Sam back. Eventually, though, it worked. By 2020, they were back on track and ready to move in together.
From the outside, it looked as though the couple had successfully put Zara’s misdemeanour behind them, but some fans always had doubts. One ‘source’ told the Mail Online that the relationship ‘never felt like it was heading for the long haul’, adding that they ‘never fully recovered from Zara’s cheating; most couples would have struggled for as long as they did afterwards’.
Not only that, but when they first got together Zara was 22 and Sam was 27. As their respective profiles have grown (Sam currently has 2.7 million Instagram followers, while Zara has 2 million), reports claim that their careers have taken them in different directions. Having both started on reality TV, Sam has gone on to host his own show on Hits Radio, the Staying Relevant podcast with Pete Wicks and the ITV2 spin-off I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked. Meanwhile, Zara has hosted a series of BBC documentaries about topics including revenge porn, rape culture and eating disorders, and has also built a career as a model and influencer.
The source says that the couple had simply ‘drifted apart’ and had ‘delayed the inevitable for several months’. Their work often took them to different parts of the world, with Sam recently spending a stint in Australia filming the I’m A Celeb spin-off and Zara spending time in Ibiza last summer to film a BBC documentary about the party island. While this is something a lot of couples in the spotlight have to contend with, there’s no doubt that busy, diverging schedules can be difficult to manage.
Something else that fans have raised in light of the breakup reports is that Sam and Zara were something of an ‘odd pairing’ to begin with. While Sam has a Duracell bunny personality and seems to thrive off a busy schedule and lots of contact with his fans, Zara seems to be more of a homebody and enjoys baking and spending time with family.
They have also publicly touched on their future together and the pressure to get engaged and start a family – something that could have been a factor in their decision to part ways. Speaking to Josie Gibson in late 2024, Sam admitted that their thriving careers played a part in their reluctance to take the 'next step'. 'It’s kind of tough to explain this, a lot of people – you not included – a lot of guys who are like, "Mate, you need to have kids, you need to have kids," and I’m like, my circumstances are different to yours.
'There will come a time where we'll both be like, "Yeah, now’s the time," but I just don't think it’s now,' he added.
Ultimately, we can never be sure of what goes on behind closed doors. We hope they both find happiness apart or together regardless.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).