Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott have ended their ‘doomed’ relationship after almost breaking up four years earlier.
Sources reportedly close to the former couple, who dated for five years, said they decided to call it quits for good after ‘living very different lives’ for the past few months. Both focused on their respective careers – Sam, 32, recently presented I’m A Celebrity Down Under while former Love Islander Zara, 28, worked on her new BBC stalking documentary.
They also spent Christmas and New Year apart. Zara remained home with her family and their beloved cats, while the Staying Relevant podcaster spent the day helping those in need with a charity on December 25 before partying it up with his MIC pals in London on New Year’s Eve.
The pair were forced to work on their romance after it was rocked in 2020 when Zara’s cheating came to light and according to a source, Sam “never really recovered” from the affair, reports MailOnline. Shortly after Zara, who now has her own clothing range Rise, joined the cast of the hit E4 series, the couple became Instagram official in the summer of 2019.
However in November of that year, Zara appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity, as part of No Love Lost with Love Island co-stars Samira Mighty, Wes Nelson and Eyal Booker. It was during her stint in the singing competition that she cheated on Sam with Brahim Fouradi, a music industry executive who has worked on talent shows such as The X Factor as part of his duties as A&R director at Simon Cowell’s company Syco.
Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott ‘devastated’ after relationship became ‘impossible’
Sam reportedly ‘never really recovered’ from Zara’s cX Factor affair
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Those in the know are said to be surprised the couple lasted as long as they did
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The betrayal left Sam heartbroken, which fans saw visibly as the scandal unfolded in episodes of the reality show in 2020. Admitting to being unfaithful, Zara, while seated on a park bench, was shown begging him for forgiveness, 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 just want you to forgive me.”
In despair, Sam responded with the heartbreaking four words: “There’s absolutely no way.” He added: “Because how can there ever be a way? I can’t even trust this.” Regretful Zara then wept as she pleaded: “No, stop. Please stop, please. You can, you can. You can do it, you can, please.”
The broadcaster later took to Instagram Stories to issue an apology, where she admitted she felt “pain and embarrassment”. She pennded: “A huge mistake I made a year ago has recently come to light and I want to face this head on. I don’t condone being unfaithful and I made a huge mistake at a time in my life where I was hugely selfish and immature.”
Would you like to see Sam and Zara back together? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
She continued: “I believe I have learnt so much from my mistake. I want to apologise to my Sam for everything I have put him through, for the pain, the embarrassment, the anger and the hurt. All I want to do is make this right and I think the least he deserves is me being honest with myself and all of you. I love you Sam. Forever x’.”
Less than a month later, it appeared the pair had worked things out, with Sam posting a gushing birthday post for Zara. Despite fans now being in shock at the news of their separation, those allegedly in the know are reportedly surprised they managed to last as long as they did.
A so-called friend told MailOnline: “Zara and Sam’s relationship just never had felt like it was heading for the long haul. They never really recovered from Zara’s cheating, most couples would have struggled lasting for as long as they did afterwards.
“Zara had some big making up to do, especially with Louise, she really wasn’t happy when Sam took her back. But she managed to make it work and they had some great times together again, but it just felt like it was never going to be truly serious. They were delaying the inevitable for several months as they had drifted apart and their lives had become very different.”
The couple had reportedly been ‘delaying the inevitable for several months’
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Scenes of Zara begging for forgiveness have now gone down in Made In Chelsea history
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Would you like to see Sam and Zara back together? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
After giving things another try in November 2020, Sam later explained why he chose to move forward with Zara at the time. In an interview with the MailOnline, he defended his ex-girlfriend, saying: “I believe in forgiveness. I understand the context – and I think in any walk of life you can’t move forward unless you forgive. Forgiveness allows you to heal. You can only heal when you forgive the other person and get over that.”
Ahead of Zara’s stint on the 2023 season Strictly Come Dancing, questions were raised as to whether she would fall prey to the so-called ‘Strictly curse’. However, Sam was confident that she’d learned her lesson. Defending her again on his Staying Relevant podcast with pal Pete Wicks, Sam reflected: “She was 22… so f****** young. You know when you look at them and you go, ‘She ain’t going to do that again? I could see in her face.! He added: “You’d be some w***** to have done it yourself and can’t forgive.”
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