SAM Thompson has spoken about his shock split from Zara McDermott for the first time as he opened up to best pal Pete Wicks.
The I'm A Celeb star, 32, and Love Island favourite Zara, 28, went their separate ways just before Christmas and it now appears Zara has moved out of their London home.
In the latest episode of Sam and Pete's podcast, Pete, 36, wastes no time making Sam squirm as he asks him about his "bad Christmas".
He asks directly: "What's been going on?"
Sam admits: "It was tough. It’s been a tough month. A real tough month."
He also jokes: "This is not a good time to be going bald either."
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Pete says he wasn't sure if Sam would be in a fit enough state to crack on with the podcast, telling him: "I didn't know if we were gonna be here or not."
A source lifted the lid on the reasons behind the split, telling : "Sam and Zara have ended their relationship.
"It's been an incredibly difficult decision for them to part ways; they still care and have a lot of love for each other.
"But after a tough year of working hard at their romance, they have split and will be focusing on their individual careers going forward into 2025.
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"There has been no scandal or fallout between them, it's just the result of a difficult year, where they both had to spend a lot of time focused on their own projects."
Yesterday Zara returned to work after a brief trip to Paris and seemed to show her new living arrangements.
"Come and spend the day with me," Zara captioned a new TikTok video as she filmed herself getting ready for a busy day.
The 28-year-old was filming for BBC's Morning Live and took followers with her on the journey from London to Manchester.
In the footage, Zara was seen reluctantly getting out of bed before hopping in the shower - and fans were quick to notice something different.
The bed, shower and rooms she posted from were all different to her usual video content.
And Zara has the couple's two cats staying with her - calling them "my world".
One fan said: "House does not look like theirs. Someone is bound to say it so yes I said it. I hope they are both ok honestly."
Another said: "It’s clearly not their house, this is the house that she bought in Essex I believe."