Zara's 'dinner date' with Louis

A source tells new that reality star Zara McDermott ‘feels like she's hit the jackpot’ with singer Louis Tomlinson, following her split from former Made In Chelsea regular Sam Thompson

- Kenzi Devine

Zara McDermott set tongues wagging last week when she was spotted on a cosy date with One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, less than three months after her split from Sam Thompson was revealed.

Love Island favourite Zara, 28, was seen enjoying an intimate dinner with singer Louis, 33, at a hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, as reports swirled that the pair have been dating for “some time”.

Now, a source tells new that while her new romance with Louis may seem sudden, Zara’s relationship with 32-year-old Sam was over long before they officially parted ways.

“Fans had hoped they would work it out but it seems there's no way back. A lot of people close to Sam and Zara knew that it was over romantically before they officially broke up, so the split wasn’t a surprise to anyone. It’s been hard – Zara still cares for Sam as he was a lovable character, but it wasn’t right for them both,” claimed the source.

Sam and Zara had been dating since 2019 and lived together in Sam’s Fulham home until December, when it was confirmed they had split and Zara moved out of the property. The pair are yet to speak about the break-up and haven’t shared the reason for the split. However, last week Zara posted a cute clip on Instagram of her friend Charli Paton’s daughter on a swing, stating how “happy” she is at the moment.