Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson’s five-year relationship is believed to have been doomed from the very start, with those allegedly in the know surprised they lasted as long as they did after Zara’s shock affair
Made in Chelsea: Zara McDermott asks for forgiveness
Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson have parted ways after five years – and some say the romance was doomed from the very beginning, with Sam having “never really recovered” from Zara’s cheating admission.
The Made in Chelsea royalty, whose park bench argument remains one of the show’s most memorable moments, navigated some rocky moments in the early months of their relationship, especially after Zara’s affair with an X Factor boss came to light.
Sam and Zara went Instagram official in the summer of 2019, shortly before Zara joined the Made In Chelsea cast. 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 this time that Zara, 28, 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. And it’s understood this breach of trust had a profound effect on Sam.
Indeed, although many fans were shocked and saddened by the split news – less than a month after Sam issued a gushing happy birthday post for Zara – those in the know are reported to be somewhat surprised that the couple lasted as long as they did.
An alleged 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.”
Zara admitted to being unfaithful in now-iconic scenes shown on the E4 reality show, aired in 2020. While seated on a park bench, Zara can be seen begging Sam’s 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.”
Sam then replied: “There’s absolutely no way, 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.”
Issuing an apology via Instagram Stories at a later date, Zara said she felt awful for the “pain and embarrassment” she’d caused, stating: “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.
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’.”
Heartbroken Sam eventually found it within himself to forgive and forget, and the couple gave things another go in November 2020. Explaining why he chose to move forward with Zara in a candid interview with the MailOnline, Sam revealed: “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.”
Opening up about her infidelity with Jamie Laing during a October 2022 episode of Made In Chelsea, Zara confessed: ‘When it happened I genuinely thought that me and Sam were going to break up, inevitably. I just thought we were hanging on by a tiny thread and we’re going to break up.’
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 his girlfriend 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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