Sam Thompson returns to social media with a defiant New Year’s Day pledge to fans after splitting with Zara McDermott

Sam Thompson returned to social media on New Year’s Day with a serious promise to fans, shortly after MailOnline exclusively revealed his relationship with Zara McDermott is over.

The couple have decided to end their five-year relationship, which saw them travel the world, build a house and become household names together after growing apart.

But Sam, 32, was in good spirits as he shared his first Instagram post since news of their split emerged on Wednesday morning.

Addressing his followers in a short video filmed outside his London home, he said: “The New Year is going to be amazing. You’re going to have the best year ever, and you know I’m never wrong, I’m always right.”

He closed with a kiss and repeated, “You’re going to have the best year ever.”

Hours earlier, he celebrated New Year’s Eve by partying with his ex-Made In Chelsea co-stars Reza Amiri-Garroussi and Josh Patterson at London’s Kensington Roof Gardens, while ex-girlfriend Zara, 28, spent the evening at home with her cats.

They also had separate Christmases after Sam volunteered for charity and Zara stayed with her immediate family in Upminster, Essex.

Zara, who starred in Strictly Come Dancing last year, spent the run-up to the holidays without Sam as he was in Australia working on I’m A Celeb spin-off show Unpacked.

She was unable to join Down Under due to her own work commitments, including launching the second drop of her clothing line Rise and continuing to film her BBC documentaries.

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.