Sam Thompson has revealed that he ‘needed therapy’ to help process his breakup with Zara McDermott.
Sam, 33, and Zara, 29, broke up this time last year, after around five years together in the spotlight.
Zara moved out of the home they shared in south-west London, and in January, it was rumoured that she was dating One Direction star Louis Tomlinson.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Sam mentioned the breakup, revealing that he had seen a therapist after the split.
‘Look, I can’t speak about Zara out of politeness, and I respect that we’ve both kept it that way. But I don’t know one person who enjoys going through a break-up.
‘I needed therapy to help me process that change in my life. I worked so hard last year, I neglected friends and family, even myself a bit.
‘One of the big takeaways was to give myself some time, otherwise the danger is you get ill. We like to think we’re superheroes but then we burn out.’
Sam has now begun dating DJ and model Talitha Balinska, who he met in 2023 at a photoshoot.
The couple reconnected this year after Sam invited her to see his live podcast show, Staying Relevant at the O2 Arena.
He confirmed their relationship on a recent episode of the podcast with his co-host Pete Wicks and discussed the moment he asked Talitha to be his girlfriend.
‘Mate, it was just super relaxed. It was so boring, really, but that’s kind of how I wanted it to be,’ he said.
‘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 went on: ‘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”.’
Sam’s ex, Zara, has been publicly dating Louis Tomlinson since August, when Zara shared a kissing snap on social media.
However, the pair had been snapped on dates on various occasions in the months leading up to the hard launch on social media.
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.
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