Sam Thompson looks downcast as he is seen for the first time since split from Zara McDermott

Sam Thompson looked somber as he was spotted for the first time since his split from Zara McDermott on Thursday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 32, and the influencer, 28, recently called it quits and Sam was getting some fresh air near his London home after the difficult few weeks.

The former couple, who started dating in 2019, emerged as having split on Wednesday after spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve separately, with a source telling MailOnline exclusively.

While he was on the road, he dressed casually in a beige jacket, sweatpants and had his headphones in.

He completed the outfit with Nike sneakers and a warm hoodie amid London’s bitter temperatures.

It comes after Sam complimented Jowita Przystał’s ‘incredible’ abs after she ‘took off her top’ for him.

The star released his first Stay relevant podcast since the news that he split from girlfriend Zara on Wednesday.

During the podcast, Sam and his co-host Pete Wicks jokingly handed out their ‘Staying Relevant Awards’, including ‘Most Likely To Get Fired’ and ‘Biggest Failure’ among their team.

One of their awards was for ‘Best Team Member’, which Pete presented to his Strictly Come Dancing professional partner Jowita, who appeared on the podcast while Sam was in Australia.

He said: ‘The best new team member is the next one, I think it’s clear. She’s someone who helped us when Sam was away, we all love her.

“Some have said she is a good replacement and possibly better. She is part of one of TV land’s defining partnerships of 2024 and has become a sensational part of this team. The winner is Jowita.’

Sam replied that he recently saw Jowita’s abs and was blown away by them.

He said: ‘Gotta say, some cracking abs too. I couldn’t believe it, when she took off her top I was in hell. Unbelievable, washboard. Never seen anything like it before.’

Pete and Jowita reached the semi-finals of Strictly last year, which was won by comedian Chris McCausland and dancer Dianne Buswell.

It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed his relationship with Zara is over after five years.

A source close to the couple told MailOnline: ‘Sam and Zara have ended their relationship. It was an incredibly difficult decision for them to break up, they still care about each other and have a lot of love for each other.

‘But after a tough year of hard work on their romance, they have parted ways and will focus on their individual careers until 2025.

“There has been no scandal or falling out between them, it’s just the result of a difficult year in which they both had to spend a lot of time on their own projects.”

The couple were last seen together celebrating Zara’s birthday in December, where Sam dedicated an Instagram post to his girlfriend, calling her his “soulmate” and “best friend.”

Less than a week later, the former E4 star was photographed outside Stringfellows strip club with TOWIE’s Pete Wicks at 4am.

Zara has lived in Sam’s house in West London for years and the couple share two cats, Albus and Carlo.

They are close to Sam’s sister Louise, who lives next door with fiancé Ryan Libbey and their three-year-old son Leo.

Sam, who co-hosts the Staying Relevant podcast with good friend Pete, features Zara in his online content, with the pair often collaborating on viral Instagram and TikTok videos.

MailOnline has contacted Zara and Sam’s representatives for comment.

The couple struggled to make their relationship work after Sam won I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! last year and doubled his work schedule.

They laughed it off and claimed their romance was in trouble in June after they argued following Sam’s appearance at Soccer Aid.

The same month, Sam was photographed being ‘comforted’ by Pete at the TRIC Awards, amid rising tensions between him and Zara.

After earning a new presenting gig on ITV’s This Morning, Sam spent late 2024 in Australia as co-host of I’m A Celebrity spin-off Unpacked alongside Joel Dommett and Kemi Rodgers.

Meanwhile, Zara, who found fame on Love Island in 2018, has fulfilled her dreams by becoming a documentary filmmaker for the BBC, where she fronted programs on revenge porn, disordered eating and rape culture.

The TV star also launched her first clothing label last year called Rise, which is available at F&F at Tesco, and has successfully collaborated with beauty brands including L’Oréal and Rio de Janeiro.

Zara became the first former Love Island contestant to be cast on Strictly Come Dancing last year, where she performed with professional dancer Graziano Di Prima.

The Italian dancer was fired from the BBC series following allegations about his behavior towards Zara, who spoke out about her ‘disturbing’ time in the training room.

She said: ‘I have struggled with the fear of opening up, I feared public backlash, I feared my future, I feared victim shaming.

‘But after many conversations with people I love, I have been given the strength to face these fears, and when I was asked to speak to the BBC, I spoke candidly about my time on the show.’

Graziano’s axing followed the departure of fellow dancer Giovanni Pernice, who faced a BBC investigation into his treatment of actress Amanda Abbington, with a total of six of 16 allegations against the pro upheld.

Zara returned to the Strictly studios this year to support boyfriend Pete, who reached the semi-finals of the competition.

Sam and Zara started dating after he sent her a private message on Instagram in 2019, but they split the following year.

Their romance came to a brief end after Zara admitted to cheating on Sam during the early days of their relationship when she appeared on Celebrity X Factor.

The radio host eventually forgave Zara during emotional scenes captured for Made In Chelsea, which the couple have since laughed about and even recreated.

Zara previously dated former Love Island contestant Adam Collard after they met on the show, while Sam enjoyed romances with his ex-Chelsea co-stars Sophie Habboo and Tiffany Watson.