Zara McDermott and Louis Tomlinson have marked another sweet milestone in their romance by celebrating her birthday together.
The lovebirds were first linked in March following Zara’s shock split from podcaster Sam Thompson, 33.
But it now seems that the five-year relationship is well and truly a thing of the past for both parties, as Zara and Sam have moved on and couldn’t appear happier with their new partners.
Taking to Instagram on her 29th birthday, Zara shared an adorable snap with boyfriend Louis alongside a loved-up caption.
‘the best birthday ever with you ❤️🎄✨🪵 & the final year of my 20’s !! [sic]’, she wrote.
While the background didn’t give much away regarding the couple’s whereabouts, a vast green space could be seen, suggesting the pop star has whisked her away for a celebratory staycation.
Zara’s selfie showed her and the 33-year-old One Direction member wrapped up against the winter cold, her in a knitted Loewe beanie and him in a black puffer coat.
The former Strictly star sported natural makeup but a luxurious fur jacket, beaming in front of the camera as Louis crouched down, his hair flopping over his eyes.
Her post quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, with commenters keen to wish her a happy birthday.
‘Happy birthday, ily lots ❤️’, wrote Strictly 2025 contestant Amber Davies.
Her brother Brad added jokingly: ‘HAPPY BURFDAY’.
Lottie Tomlinson, Louis’s younger sister, also commented a string of heart-eye faces, later sharing her own tribute for the newest family member.
Taking to her Instagram Story and proving Zara has certainly been embraced, Lottie posted a fun snapshot with the couple at Glastonbury, writing: ‘happy birthday beautiful’.
December is set to be a full-on month for Zara and the Tomlinson clan, as she’s already confirmed she will be spending Christmas with them.
What’s more, Louis’s birthday falls on Christmas Eve, with Zara recently writing in a fan Q&A that festive season will be ‘a beautiful magical one’.
‘It’s also my birthday on 14th December and my boyfriend’s is on 24th December so it’s a busy busy month!’
As for ex-boyfriend Sam, while he’s been open about struggling since finding himself single again in the New Year, the presenter will hopefully have a better Christmas this time.
Sam is now dating DJ and model Talitha Balinska, who made a brief appearance in one of his Instagram videos several weeks ago in what fans declared a ‘soft launch’.
Taking things up a notch, and just hours before Zara and Louis’s selfie dropped, Sam shared a cosy photo with his new girlfriend as they enjoyed a romantic meal.
Posted on his Insta Story, the pic showed the glam pair in a dark setting, Talitha placing an arm around him as Sam smiled.
Talitha, in her mid-twenties, later took to her own Story with some pics of their delicious grub.
It’s believed Sam and Talitha were set up by his friend and former Made in Chelsea co-star Reza Amiri-Garroussi, two years after first meeting when Talitha modelled for their sunglasses brand, Dinelli.
Speaking excitedly on a new episode of his Staying Relevant podcast with Pete Wicks, Sam said: ‘I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ve got a girlfriend!’
Pete joked: ‘We’ve lost him again to the dark powers of a woman.’
Discussing the moment Sam asked Talitha to make things official, the TV personality revealed: ‘Mate, it was just super relaxed. It was so boring, really, but that’s kind of how I wanted it to be.
‘We just went for dinner, and I was like, “I really like you.” And I just went, “I’d love to be your boyfriend.” I don’t know why I’m panicking more now!’
He continued sweetly: ‘Yeah, I just said, “Look, I really, really like you, and you make me feel really… comfortable. I feel like I can be myself around you. I don’t want to be dating anyone else.
‘I’m 33; I wouldn’t be dating someone this amount of time if I didn’t think it had legs to last. So, will you be my girlfriend?” And she said, “Yes.” And so I said, “Great”.’
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