Alert – Sam Thompson barely speaking to Zara McDermott as Louis Tomlinson romance is confirmed – latest updates and reaction

Zara recently wrapped filming for new TV series in Thailand.

The TV personality has been in Southeast Asia to work on the upcoming documentary series that is set to air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in 2025.

In an update shared to Instagram, Zara wrote: ‘THATS A WRAP THAILAND the best trip of my life, creating the most incredible series with some incredible people. I am so lucky to do the job that I do.

‘From vagina temples, to Britney karaoke in our van (lol), to eating a cheese toastie at 2am at the full moon party on the floor in a local school, it has been truly amazing.

‘Until next time. I cannot wait for you all to see this series.’

In the new programme, made by South Shore Productions, she will explore the destination which has become a popular tourist spot for young Brits.

The series will kick off in bustling Bangkok before heading to some popular party islands and will feature a lively cast of characters.

Zara’s main aim for the documentary is to discover why thousands of young Brits flock to the exotic location every year.

From backpackers to those who are seeking longer-term roots – the new documentary will unearth the secrets of the vast and varied country.

Speaking to the BBC, Zara revealed that she is excited to explore a new country: ‘I’m excited to discover a country that so many young people like me are heading to right now.’

‘There’s clearly a fascination with the nightlife, parties and stunning beaches – but there seems to be other intriguing reasons people are going to Thailand and staying.’

This week Sam admitted that he is ‘terrified’ of where his life is going as he spoke with Celebs Go Dating star Paul Brunson on his podcast.

He has been working on his Staying Relevant podcast, with Paul filling in for Pete Wicks while he holidays in Dubai.

Elsewhere, in a fun TikTok Sam revealed what ‘he has been doing since his break up’ from Zara.

He was seen dressed in a Harry Potter Hufflepuff cloak with a yellow tie while waving around a brown wand.

Behind a caption penning, ‘I wonder what he has been up to since the break up?’, Sam could be seen bouncing up and down while playing a fun dance tune mixed with a Harry Potter rap.

In the clip, his sister, Louise can be seen dressed up in the other houses alongside her partner and child, Leo.

Alongside the post, he penned: ‘DJ Hufflepuff at your service’, to which Louise responded: ‘We’re so lucky. I’m most pleased that you left the wretched wand and hufflepuff scarf behind and now Leo wants to leave the house with them every waking second of the day.’

Zara has reportedly splashed the cash to purchase a brand new flat in West London, not far away from where she lived with her ex-boyfriend Sam.

The Love Island star moved out of the lavish home she shared with Made In Chelsea star Sam.

at the start of the year, following their shock split.

But it seems she hasn’t gone far with what could be her new love nest, as The Sun reports she has bought a new property nearby for a cool £500,000.

A source told the publication: ‘She bought it two weeks ago under her company name, it’s a two bed flat in a nice area and weirdly, not that far from where she lived with Sam.

‘It will make it really awkward when they cross paths at the local pub or in a coffee shop, though.’

Zara appeared on the fourth series of Love Island in 2018 as a bombshell contestant before becoming coupled up with Adam Collard.

She was unexpectedly dumped from the villa only a couple of weeks after arriving but they rekindled their romance after the show, later becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

The couple dated for around eight months and appeared to be taking the relationship seriously, with the pair even getting matching tattoos.

Adam had the letter “Z” on his wrist, while Zara had “AC” etched on her little finger, not long after the Strictly star claimed she had 'tamed' his wild ways.

Adam and Zara moved in together in Essex, took several exotic holidays together, including Dubai and the Bahamas, and were pictured at a variety of glitzy events.

The couple parted ways in February 2019, with Zara announcing their split on Instagram and writing at the time: ‘Sometimes in life, you just aren’t enough for someone; no matter what you do for them or how much you try to be.’

The split led the pair unfollowing each other on Instagram, with Adam reportedly covering the tattoo of Zara's initial up only two months after the split.

She later ‘slid into Sam’s DMs’ and they started dating in May 2019.

Zara and Louis’ date came just days after fans fuelled speculation that they were an item on Reddit, with some noticing that they follow each other on Instagram. He only follows 336 accounts and Zara is one of them.

And after their theories were confirmed to be true, their other other hypothesis could now hold some weight to it as users questioned the link between Zara and the One Direction hunk’s siblings.

At the time, fans claimed that as well as himself, Louis’s sisters, including make-up artists Lottie Tomlinson, and twins Daisy and Phoebe, follow Zara too.

One fan wrote on Reddit: ‘I’ve read a lot of rumours that Louis is in a relationship with Zara McDermott.

‘They recently started to follow each other on Instagram. She follows all of his sisters, and they follow her back.’

Louis was last linked to longtime girlfriend Eleanor Calder.

The singer was said to have called time on his five-year relationship with Eleanor after distance ‘put pressure’ on their romance in January 2023.

After he enjoyed a brief romance with Danish model Sofie Nyvang, Louis was said to have been ‘drawn back’ to his ex by January 2024.

Eleanor and Louis endured an on/off relationship from the early stages of his career in 2011, and announced a temporary split in March 2015 only to rekindle things two years later.

During the couple’s split, the Miss You hitmaker became a father to son Freddie Reign, seven, after a brief fling with stylist Briana Jungwirth.

Louis introduced son Freddie to fans on Instagram shortly after his birth, but has kept him out of the spotlight in recent times, while Briana has shared glimpses of him on Instagram.

Eleanor and Louis reunited in January 2017, shortly after the tragic death of his mother Johannah Deakin aged 43.

Back in 2020, the singer even spoke of his plans to marry the model after previously ‘f***ing things up’.

Addressing engagement rumours at the time, he said: ‘Yeah I saw some of that [engagement rumours]. It isn’t true, but the luxury with Eleanor is I’ve known her since before our first single What Makes You Beautiful, so she’s felt the whole growth of everything.’

Quizzed about marriage he added: ‘One day, yeah, I’d imagine so. If you’re asking me if I’m going to marry her? Yes, I think so! And more kids, I’d say so.’

As Zara moves on with a 1D star, insiders have revealed that Sam always struggled to get past his ex’s affair.

Zara's fling witha music executive came to light 16 months after she started dating Sam, with the scandal playing out in the public eye as the split and their subsequent reunion was documented on Made In Chelsea.

The 2019 fling with music boss Brahim Fouradi – who had previously worked for Simon Cowell as an artists and repertoire (A&R) director for Syco – happened when Zara was appearing on another TV show, X Factor, coincidentally the show whick kicked off Louis’ career.

Zara was appearing on the Celebrity X Factor as part of a group comprised of ex-Love Island contestants on the one-off ITV series, eventually won by former TOWIE star Megan McKenna.

Sam, 32, initially ended his relationship with Zara in the wake of her affair in September 2019 and the subsequent series of Made In Chelsea documented the aftermath as they eventually reconciled.

The repercussions of the affair continued for years though with sources close to the couple telling at the time of their January split that Sam’s family never quite forgave Zara, despite their attempts to welcome her back into the fold.

Sam’s protective sister Louise, 34, was the most vocal in her disapproval of Zara and questioned her brother on why he took her back, but agreed, for his sake, to give her a second chance.

But the couple’s relationship failed to go the distance – and they officially cut ties in January just over five years on from her affair.

Back in 2017, Louis admitted that he did watch Love Island while speaking on Kiss FM.

Admitting that he was rooting for Camilla Thurlow, he said: ‘I think Camilla is a sweet girl, I think she deserves a break, so, I would like to see her win.’

However, by 2019 Louis had changed his tune and made disparaging remarks not just about the show but the contestants as well, saying: ‘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.’

Fans of Louis Tomlinson were left in shock when his relationship with Zara was confirmed on Tuesday.

Admitting it ‘was not on my 2025 bingo card,’ One Direction fans claimed the news was a huge ‘plot twist’ and shared their thoughts on X.

Sam Thompson broke his silence as he revealed what he thinks amid the news his ex Zara has officially moved on with Louis.

Appearing to take a cryptic dig at Zara after the speed at which she has moved on post breakup, he made a comment that ‘people look for validation in others to fill that hole’, which is something he can’t do.

Speaking with friend and Celebs Go Dating coach Paul Brunson on the latest episode of his podcast Staying Relevant, Paul asked Sam: ‘What are you doing Sam to self-love?’

Getting candid Sam confessed he isn’t even thinking about dating again as he replied: ‘Not much to be honest with you.

‘I suppose a lot of people look for validation in other people right? And they look for the next person instantly because it’s like “I need to find someone else to fill that hole and I need to find that excitement.”

Louis Tomlinson was spotted enjoying a romantic meal with Zara McDermott just days after fans speculated the pair were dating.

The One Direction star, 33, is said to have planned the date, which saw him take Zara, 28, to The Suffolk hotel in Aldeburgh.

A fellow diner at the hotel spotted the pair enjoying a romantic meal and they can be seen beaming in photos obtained by The Sun.

The pair looked besotted as they giggled and held hands while enjoying fish and chips and cocktails – before apparently spending the night at the hotel.