Sam Thompson 'never fully recovered' from Zara McDermott's affair with X-Factor boss

Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson have called it quits after a five-year relationship, with some suggesting that the relationship was destined to fail from the start due to Sam having "never really recovered" from Zara's confession of infidelity.

The Made in Chelsea stars, known for their infamous park bench argument which remains one of the show's most iconic scenes, had their fair share of turbulent times early on in their relationship, particularly when Zara's affair with an X Factor boss was exposed.

The couple made their relationship Instagram official in the summer of 2019, just before Zara joined the Made In Chelsea crew.

In November of the same year, Zara participated in The X Factor: Celebrity as part of No Love Lost alongside her Love Island co-stars Samira Mighty, Wes Nelson and Eyal Booker, the Mirror reports.

It was during this period that Zara, now 28, cheated on Sam with Brahim Fouradi, a music industry executive who has worked on talent shows like The X Factor in his role as A&R director at Simon Cowell's company Syco. This betrayal is believed to have deeply affected Sam.

While many fans were taken aback and saddened by the news of the split - coming less than a month after Sam posted a heartfelt birthday message for Zara - insiders are said to be somewhat surprised that the pair managed to stay together for as long as they did.

A source close to the couple disclosed to MailOnline: "Zara and Sam's relationship just never had 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 after they did afterwards.

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"Zara had some big making up to do, especially with Louise, she really wasn't happy when Sam took her back. 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."

The notorious admission of infidelity by Zara played out in what's now become an iconic moment on the E4 reality series, broadcasted in 2020. On a park bench during the emotional exchange, Zara implored Sam for forgiveness, stating: "I have no justification for anything, the way that I've behaved, the way that I've acted, the things that I've done. It's just disgusting. I just want you to forgive me."

In response, a distrusting Sam said: "There's absolutely no way, because how can there ever be a way. I can't even trust this."

Following this, a regretful and tearful Zara pleaded: "No, stop. Please stop, please. You can, you can. You can do it, you can, please."

Zara issued a heartfelt apology on her Instagram Stories, expressing deep regret for the "pain and embarrassment" she caused. She admitted: "A huge mistake I made a year ago has recently come to light and I want to face this head on. I don't condone being unfaithful and I made a huge mistake at a time in my life where I was hugely selfish and immature."

In her continuation, she said: "I believe I have learnt so much from my mistake. I want to apologise to my Sam for everything I have put him through, for the pain, the embarrassment, the anger and the hurt. All I want to do is make this right and I think the least he deserves is me being honest with myself and all of you. I love you Sam. Forever x'."

In an admirable display of forgiveness, heartbroken Sam chose to forgive Zara, and they reunited as a couple in November 2020. Speaking candidly to MailOnline about his decision, Sam explained: "I believe in forgiveness. I understand the context – and I think in any walk of life you can't move forward unless you forgive.

"Forgiveness allows you to heal. You can only heal when you forgive the other person and get over that."

During an episode of Made In Chelsea in October 2022, Zara opened up about her infidelity involving Jamie Laing, confessing: "When it happened I genuinely thought that me and Sam were going to break up, inevitably. I just thought we were hanging on by a tiny thread and we're going to break up."

Before Zara's appearance on the 2023 season of Strictly Come Dancing, there were concerns that she might fall victim to the so-called 'Strictly curse'. However, Sam was convinced she had learned from her past experiences.

On his Staying Relevant podcast with friend Pete Wicks, Sam defended his girlfriend, saying: "She was 22... so f****** young. You know when you look at them and you go, 'She ain't going to do that again? I could see in her face! He added: "You'd be some w***** to have done it yourself and can't forgive. ".

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