Former I'm a Celebrity winner Sam Thompson, 32, and ex-Love Island star Zara McDermott, 28, have called it quits on their five-year relationship which began with a private Instagram message in 2019.
The couple, who built a home together in West London, decided to end the relationship following a long period of working apart.
The split comes after the pair spent both Christmas Day and New Year's Eve separately, with former King of the Jungle Thompson partying with ex-Made In Chelsea co-stars at London's Kensington Roof Gardens, while McDermott remained at home with her cats.
Thompson spent Christmas Day volunteering for a charity, while McDermott spent the festive period with her close family in Upminster, East London.
The couple's time apart began earlier when Thompson was in Australia working on I'm A Celebrity spinoff show Unpacked.
McDermott was unable to join him Down Under due to her own work commitments, including the second release of her clothing line Rise.
The pair had been together since 2019
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The couple were last seen together celebrating McDermott's birthday in December, where Thompson dedicated an Instagram post to his girlfriend, calling her his "soulmate" and "best friend."
However, the 32-year-old was soon afterwards seen outside the strip club Stringfellows at 4am with TOWIE's Pete Wicks, less than a week after celebrating McDermott's birthday.
A source close to the couple told MailOnline: "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," the source added.
McDermott and Thompson have been working apart for some time
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The insider emphasised there had been "no scandal or fallout between them," explaining it was simply "the result of a difficult year, where they both had to spend a lot of time focused on their own projects".
Thompson has seen his workload double since winning I'm A Celebrity, landing a new presenting role on ITV's This Morning alongside his work in Australia.
In 2023, McDermott had been embroiled in the Strictly Come Dancing abuse row after appearing on the series with pro dancer Graziano Di Prima.
Di Prima later admitted to kicking McDermott during rehearsals, prompting complaints to BBC bosses and the Italian dancer later being axed from the series.
The experience did not stop McDermott from launching her own clothing line and expanding her media career.
The former Love Island star has established herself as a documentary maker for the BBC, producing programmes exploring topics including revenge porn, eating disorders and rape culture.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
McDermott was part of the Strictly Come Dancing abuse scandal
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Outside of work, McDermott has been living at Thompson's West London home for several years, where the couple share two cats, Albus and Cedric.
They maintain a close relationship with Thompson's sister Louise, who lives next door with fiancé Ryan Libbey and their three-year-old son Leo.
Sam and Zara began their relationship in 2019 after he privately messaged her on Instagram.
