Sam Thompson holds ‘no hard feelings’ towards Louis Tomlinson as his ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott moves on with the One Direction star.
The Made In Chelsea star, 32, split from Love Islander Zara, 28, in December after five years together and she has now moved on with Louis, 33.
Their romance was confirmed when Zara was pH๏τographed out on a dinner date with the singer last week after fans speculated they were seeing one another.
Sam has since made a cryptic remark about ‘people looking for validation in others’ as he insisted he is not ready to date again in an apparent dig at his ex-girlfriend.
Despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance.
A source close to the star said: ‘Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that’s for sure.
Sam Thompson holds ‘no hard feelings’ towards Louis Tomlinson as his ex-girlfriend Zara McDermott (both pictured) moves on with the One Direction star
‘As far as he’s concerned, Louis is Zara’s new man and he’s just got to accept it.
‘He’s a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he’s got coming up.
‘Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it’s tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable.
‘But he’s not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.’
Sam is currently on holiday but was informed by Zara, 28, about her new relationship before it was made public.
Sam will come face-to-face with Louis when they will be teammates when England play the Rest of the World at this year’s Soccer Aid in June.
‘When he meets Louis at Soccer Aid he’ll treat him like any other teammate, there’s no bad blood,’ the source added.
They added that the reality TV star has accepted that Zara has moved on and intends to do likewise.
Despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance
Sam will come face-to-face with Louis when they will be teammates when England play the Rest of the World at this year’s Soccer Aid in June, but will not hold any ill will against him
Zara and Louis’ relationship has been rumoured for weeks after One Direction fans noticed the singer had followed the Strictly star on social media and started liking her pictures.
But the romance was exposed fully when the pair were pictured on a romantic one-night H๏τel break in Suffolk.
They had earlier been seen giggling and holding hands while they dined on £100 fish and chips plus cocktails at Aldburgh’s The Suffolk.
Sources close to the couple say they have been talking for a while and enjoyed several low-key dates.
Zara has been single since splitting from Sam in December after five years together.
Louis – who has a nine-year-old son from his previous relationship with stylist Briana Jungwirth – has been single for a number of months.
After splitting from Briana in 2015, Louis’ longest relationship was with influencer Eleanor Calder, who he dated on and off for five years until 2023.
Sam is now focusing on a mental health documentary he’s making and his Staying Relevant podcast, which he hosts alongside best friend Pete Wicks.
Sam (pictured at the BRIT Awards) is currently on holiday but was informed by Zara, 28, about her new relationship before it was made public
The pair will be presenting a One Night Only live show at the O2 Arena in September as Sam continues to focus on his career.
Sam’s relationship with Zara had its ups and downs before they eventually parted ways in December, with the news becoming public just weeks later.
She supported him when he won the 2023 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, while Zara was competing on Strictly, and they were tipped to become one of the UK’s celebrity power couples.
The highs of that period of their relationship contrasted heavily with the early years, when Zara cheated on the reality star with a Sony music executive.
The 2019 fling with music boss Brahim Fouradi happened when Zara was appearing on another TV show, Celebrity X Factor, coincidentally the show which kicked off Louis’ career.
The pair had been dating for just 16 months when Zara strayed but they managed to patch things up and their reunion was documented on Made In Chelsea.
However, insiders have revealed that Sam always struggled to get past his ex’s affair after they eventually reconciled following her heartfelt apologies.
Sam previously explained why he took her back, stating: ‘I believe in forgiveness. I understand the context – and I think in any walk of life you can’t move forward unless you forgive.
The Made In Chelsea star, 32, split from Love Islander Zara, 28, in December after five years together and she has now moved on with Louis, 33
‘Forgiveness allows you to heal. You can only heal when you forgive the other person and get over that.’
‘I would definitely say no matter what you should always try to forgive and you’ll feel better in yourself – it’s f***ing easier said than done but you’ve got to strive for that,’ he went on.
‘The people I care about caring about me will know we’re all human. We are all human and you can’t grow and evolve and be a better person without making mistakes along the way.
‘For that to be shown on TV, it almost humanises you and makes you more relatable.’
However, the repercussions of the affair continued for years, with sources close to the couple telling MailOnline at the time of their split that Sam’s family never quite forgave Zara, despite their attempts to welcome her back into the fold.
A friend told MailOnline: ‘Zara and Sam’s relationship just never felt like it was heading for the long haul.
‘They never really recovered from Zara’s cheating, most couples would have struggled lasting for as long as they did afterwards.
‘Zara had some big making up to do, especially with Louise, [who] really wasn’t happy when Sam took her back.
Insiders have revealed that Sam always struggled to get past Zara’s affair after she cheated on him with a Sony music boss back in 2019, with the scenes playing out on Made In Chelsea
‘But she managed to make it work and they had some great times together again, but it just felt like it was never going to be truly serious.
‘They were delaying the inevitable for several months as they had drifted apart and their lives had become very different.’
Sam has yet to comment publicly since Zara’s new romance with Louis was made public.
However, he appeared to take a cryptic dig at Zara regarding the speed at which she has moved on post break-up, remarking that ‘people look for validation in others to fill that hole’.
Speaking with Celebs Go Dating coach Paul Brunson on the latest episode of his podcast Staying Relevant, Paul asked Sam: ‘What are you doing Sam to self-love?’
Getting candid, Sam confessed he isn’t even thinking about dating again as he replied: ‘Not much to be honest with you.
‘I suppose a lot of people look for validation in other people right? And they look for the next person instantly because it’s like ”I need to find someone else to fill that hole and I need to find that excitement”.
‘You know when you get that excited feeling when you are talking to someone new and fresh. I can’t do that.’
Sam has made a cryptic remark about ‘people looking for validation in others’ as he insisted he is not ready to date again in an apparent dig at his ex-girlfriend’s new romance with Louis
Sam then explained he wants to focus on prioritising his family and admitted he barely ever goes out.
He shared: ‘I love home, I am a real home body. I love my cats and being around my family and being in my home, I barely ever go out.’
MailOnline revealed Sam and Zara split in December after five years together, with the Strictly star sharing shortly after that she had moved out of their Chelsea home.
In January, she shared a TikTok documenting her day filming for Morning Live, where she confirmed she was living somewhere new, with clips of her in bed and glimpses of her room while getting ready.
