Sam's 'dread' at Zara's Strictly gig

As Zara McDermott becomes the first Love Island star to appear on Strictly Come Dancing, new learns that boyfriend Sam Thompson is trying to bury his concerns

- Rhianna Benson

Zara McDermott has made history as the first Love Island contestant to appear as a celebrity on Strictly Come Dancing, but new can exclusively reveal that her boyfriend Sam Thompson is a tad sceptical about her upcoming career move.

Former Made In Chelsea regular Sam is said to be feeling “insecure” over her Strictly stint, given that when she last appeared in a reality competition she cheated on him and they split up.

“They broke up because of it but have claimed to be super strong ever since,” a source has told new. “Sam is massively dreading history repeating itself and the Strictly curse is definitely playing on his mind.”

Zara – who was unfaithful to Sam with music executive Brahim Fouradi during her time on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019 – was the seventh contestant announced to be taking part in the BBC dance competition.

Although it’s not yet known which professional dancer the 26-year-old reality star will be paired with, her potential partners are Graziano Di Prima, Gorka Marquez, Neil Jones, Nikita Kuzmin, Johannes Radebe, Kai Widdrington, Carlos Gu, Vito Coppola or Giovanni Pernice, who previously dated former Love Island star Maura Higgins.