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Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson’s split after five years came as a huge shock to fans, but they experienced one thing that many couples struggle to get over – infidelity
Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson shocked fans when they announced their split after five years – but can a relationship ever survive infidelity?
Finding out your parner has been unfaithful is a feeling no-one ever wants to experience, and while it is undoubtedly heartbreaking, some couples decide to try and work it out and move on together. But for others, it is a definite end to the relationship as the trust has been broken forever.
When it emerged that former Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing star Zara had cheated on Sam in 2019, the pair chose to stuck it out after Zara’s grovelling apology showed on our TV screens, but it wasn’t meant to be as they’ve now parted ways.
At the time, Sam faced wide criticism for taking her back, while Zara suffered a barage of abuse for doing the dirty. Despite all the drama, the former Made in Chelsea star said he managed to forgive his partner. However, sources close to the couple claim it was something he ‘never truly got over’.
Although the couple have not specifiied the reason for their sad split, the dilemma has sparked a wider conversation online. We spoke to relationship expert Anne-Sofie Koktved from Datingxperten to decipher whether a relationship can really stay the course after such betrayal.
In 2022, Zara to revealed her and Sam were “hanging on by a thread,” telling her co-star Jamie Laing she thought they would break up after she cosied up to X Factor music boss Brahim Fourad during her time on X Factor in 2019, 16 months into her relationship with Sam. However, the pair managed to make it work, and were together for just over five years.
When the news was announced they had broken up, a source allegedly close to the couple told MailOnline: “Sam and Zara have ended their relationship. It’s been an incredibly difficult decision for them to part ways, they still care and have a lot of love for each other. But after a tough year of working hard at their romance, they have split and will be focusing on their individual careers going forward into 2025. There has been no scandal or fallout between them, it’s just the result of a difficult year, where they both had to spend a lot of time focused on their own projects.”
While there is no one-size-fits all answer and every relationship is different, the recent split between Zara and Sam has reignited the debate of whether you can truly forgive a cheating partner.
“Surviving infidelity is possible, but it requires an extraordinary level of commitment from both parties. The first step is honesty. The person who cheated must take full responsibility for their actions without minimising the impact. For the person betrayed, understanding their emotions such as anger, hurt, and confusion is vital, and these feelings must be validated,” Anne-Sofie explained.
The expert added that the key to rebuilding trust is transparency. “For example, establishing boundaries, sharing locations, or open communication about feelings can help ease insecurities. However, this should never tip into control as it is about reassurance, not ownership,” she advised.
While it can be good for couples to work on their issues themselves, Anne-Sofie said that professional help is “invaluable” in these circumstances. She added: “That said, forgiveness is not an obligation. Some relationships simply cannot recover, and leaving is sometimes the healthier choice for both parties. What is crucial is that each person reflects on their values, needs, and emotional wellbeing to make a decision that aligns with their future happiness.”
The public nature of Zara and Sam’s relationship may have added another layer of difficulty. As the pair are in the spotlight, Anne-Sofie noted that this can “amplify” the pain, and could make healing from infidelity even harder. With public scrutiny all around them, the expert said taking time away can be a “crucial step towards clarity”.
Ultimately, surviving infidelity depends on mutual willingness to do the hard work of rebuilding, but not every relationship is meant to withstand that test, the expert concluded.
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