Sam and Zara 'devastated' by split but separate lives proved relationship 'impossible'

After five years together - with many ups and downs along the way - fans were left utterly devastated when it was reported power couple Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott had split.

Rumours started swirling that Sam and Zara had parted ways after they were spotted celebrating the festive period separately and then also saw in the New Year apart, too. Now, according to a source, it seems the the pair did try their best to 'make it work' but things were proving 'impossible.'

“Although they have known it’s been over for a while, Sam and Zara are both devastated and heartbroken that they couldn’t make it work as they had so much love for each other," the source told us.

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"When they had problems in the summer they vowed to give it one more try and hoped that they could work through their issues, but it proved impossible as they were just at different stages in their lives."

Former Love Island star Zara stayed at home with her and Sam's cats, Albus and Cedric, while, Sam, 32, spent New Year’s Eve at London's Kensington Roof Gardens with former Made In Chelsea co-stars Reza Amiri-Garroussi and Josh Patterson.

In a photo uploaded to Reza’s Instagram, the I'm A Celeb winner was seen doing a shot and telling the group: “It’s going to be a memorable evening. I’m very very glad to be around all of you.”

And, prior to New Year’s Eve, Sam had spent Christmas Day volunteering while Zara spent time with her family in Essex. Former Made In Chelsea star Sam originally also shared a post to Instagram on December 25 where he said it was looking like he would have a 'bleak Christmas'. However, he later edited his post's wording to 'standard Christmas' as many were commenting asking why this Christmas would be bleak, and where Zara was.

This, coupled with their busy work schedules - Zara being committed to filming a BBC documentary and Sam co-hosting his podcast Staying Relevant with best pal Pete Wicks - it appeared that they'd already been living separate lives. In fact, in late 2024, they’d spent some time away from one another while Sam was in Australia for I’m a Celeb and Zara was filming a documentary for the BBC.

Now, according to our source, it's thought that the pair, who have yet to address publicly the split, had worked hard on their relationship, but spending this increasing time apart led to their break-up.

"Ever since Sam won the jungle, they’ve more or less been living separate lives as Sam has been so in demand and Zara has been working on lots of projects," they claimed.

"Sam, especially, feels like he can’t turn down anything at the moment so has been prioritising his career and while Zara is also career focused."

Zara and Sam began dating in June 2019 five years after 28 year old Zara slid into Sam’s DMs. Speaking to OK! about the interaction, Sam explained: “She slid into my DMs. It was great and I’m glad she did.”

Following a brief split in 2020, when Zara admitted to cheating, the pair rekindled their romance and spoke to OK! in 2022 in a joint interview. Looking back on the hard times, Zara said: “You learn from your mistakes, no one is perfect. It’s something we all go through.”

But despite this, Sam sparked engagement rumours recently in a touching tribute for Zara's birthday, where he described her as "my person", it looks like trouble was brewing for a while. The pair - who built a home next door to Sam's sister Louise and her fiancé Ryan Libbey - were even seen having a heated argument in the street over the summer.

In June, a photo surfaced showing Zara seemingly shouting at Sam in public after he played for England in Soccer Aid 2024. The images captured a tense exchange between the pair, with Zara appearing quite animated as she pointed her finger at her boyfriend following the star-studded afterparty. They seemed engrossed in their heated conversation as they waited for their taxi to arrive.

Although Zara tried to clear the air about that 'argument' with Sam, saying she was "telling him positive affirmations in a very passionate manner," rumours quickly began to swirl that the couple were having "crisis talks" about their relationship.

Zara even reportedly stormed out of their London flat and retreated to her family's home for a while. By August, however, it seemed they had mended fences as Zara was seen celebrating Sam's birthday.

Now, amid the buzz of their supposed split, Sam cheekily took to Instagram, hinting at excitement for 2025, saying it'll be "the best year ever". In the, he exclaimed: "New year! 2025 baby come on let's have it! I can't wait. The New year is going to be amazing and you're going to have the best year ever. And you know I'm always right," followed by what seemed like a smooch to his camera.

However, as any couple knows, untangling a life together is never easy and walking away can be an emotional time. Our source continued: "They’ve been together for such a long time that it was hard to finally call it a day because there are so many friends and family involved. They were neighbours with Sam’s sister Louise and they would see her little boy Leo all the time and it’s going to be hard for Zara to walk away from his family. But their friends and family have known it’s been coming for a while and it was just a matter of time.”