Zara McDermott ‘begged to appear on huge dating reality show’ amid shock split with Sam Thompson
Zara McDermott has reportedly ‘begged to appear’ on a major dating reality show following her shock split from Sam Thompson.
The Strictly star, 28, and the I’m A Celebrity winner, 32, appeared to have split on Wednesday after spending the festivities apart – as they called it quits after five years.
And now it looks like Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating has spotted the blonde bombshell for the upcoming episode.
‘Celebs Go Dating bosses are really keen to sign Zara up for the 2025 series. She is a huge fan favorite and they think she would be perfect for the show and there are men queuing up to date her dating,” says a source. The sun.
“It may be too early after the breakup with Sam, but they think she would see the real meaning behind the show, which is about stars looking at themselves and their dating patterns.”
MailOnline has contacted Zara representatives for comment.
Zara McDermott has reportedly ‘begged to appear’ on a major dating reality show following her shock split from Sam Thompson
The Strictly star, 28, and the I’m A Celebrity winner, 32, appeared to have split on Wednesday after spending the festivities apart – as they called it after five years.
But just days before their split, Zara opened up about how ‘proud’ she was of Sam.
Sam spent Christmas Day at the Camila Batmanghelidjh Foundation as he helped deliver Christmas presents in London.
Zara commented on the post and wrote: ‘So proud of you, it’s so lovely that you chose to give up your Christmas Day to help others.’
Just two days before their divorce was confirmed, Zara left another playful comment on one of Sam’s posts.
He uploaded a video of himself jokingly calling his best friend Pete Wicks while taking part in Strictly Come Dancing at the end of last year.
Zara quoted Sam in the video, writing: “Are you in a safe location? I get that every time,” along with several laughing emojis.
It comes after Sam 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.
‘Celebs Go Dating bosses are really keen to sign Zara up for the 2025 series. She is a huge fan favorite and they think she would be perfect for the show and there are men queuing up to date her,” a source told The Sun.
But Zara told how ‘proud’ she was of Sam just days before they split, leaving fans stunned
Sam spent Christmas Day at the Camila Batmanghelidjh Foundation while helping deliver Christmas presents in London
Zara commented on the post and wrote: ‘So proud of you, it’s so lovely that you chose to give up your Christmas Day to help others’
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 commented 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.
Just two days before their divorce was confirmed, Zara left another playful comment on one of Sam’s posts
“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.
Sam spent late 2024 in Australia hosting I’m A Celeb spin-off Unpacked after winning the ITV show last year
Zara became the first former Love Island contestant to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing last year
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 growing 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.
The couple have a close relationship with Sam’s sister Louise and her fiancé Ryan, as well as former TOWIE star Pete
‘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.