Inside the Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson cheating scandal that ’caused their split’

Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott have just announced their split, and now a source has said the couple never recovered from their cheating scandal. Back in 2020, it was said Zara had cheated on Sam. Despite this the couple got back together, but have now ended things after five years together.

At the time, the drama caused the iconic “YOUUUU CAAAAAN” scene on Made in Chelsea, and every single day there were news stories coming out as the couple posted back and forth. More and more was constantly being revealed about what had happened.

Here is a detailed recap of all the drama that went down during the Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson cheating scandal.

In 2020, it was revealed Zara McDermott had cheated on Sam Thompson

In September 2020, it was announced Sam and Zara had called it quits after 16 months together. It was said at the time they had been living together during lockdown, and had a series of rows which ended in them breaking up.

Then, it was reported that Zara had cheated on Sam with “someone in the music industry”, while she was part of The X Factor: Celebrity – which was then later claimed to be music boss, Brahim Fouradi.

A source close to Zara told the Sun: “Sam suspected quite early on that something was going on between Zara and Brahim, and there was a big confrontation. She was spending increasing amounts of time with him backstage, and hanging around after hours. Sam found out and kicked off. He’s devastated about how things have turned out.”

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Zara finally admitted what she had done in a message posted to her Instagram. She said: “Hey Everyone. I just wanted to address the recent speculation in the media. 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. I believe I have learnt so much from my mistake.” She said she wanted to “apologise to my Sam for everything I have put him through, for the pain, the embarrassment, the anger and the hurt.”

Zara wrote Sam a ‘heartfelt apology letter’ following the cheating scandal

In an episode of Made in Chelsea, it was revealed Zara had written Sam a “heartfelt letter of apology” trying to win him back. It read: “Dear Sam, Since you have been away I have been doing a lot of reflecting on a lot of things. I’ve reflected on my life before I met you, on our life together and a lot on the kind of life I want to live.

“Before I continue with some of the things I need to say, I just want to tell you again I am so sorry with my whole entire heart for what I did. I am so deeply ashamed of my actions and the way I have hurt you. I was selfish, immature and stupid. There is no excuse.

“I know how hard it is to believe that someone who loves you could do what I did. But believe me when I say. I love you, you have my whole heart and more.”

via E4

She continued: “You asked me before ‘what was your life like before me?’ I told you it was nothing before you. That’s not necessarily true, I had fun, I loved my life.

“But the day you walked into it, you, my whole world changed. And not because of where you live (if I’m honest I barely knew where Fulham was), not because of your friends or anything like that.” She then went on to apologise further and explain that her life changed because she had met the love of her life, and describes Sam as “charismatic” and “bubbly”.

Sam was having none of it

The letter apparently didn’t go down very well, and it was said Sam thought Zara was “making a bit of a fool of herself”. A source said at the time he was “not interested in the slightest”.

They added: “His ego was badly bruised by what’s happened and we doubt his pride will let him take her back. Zara is making a bit of a fool of herself. She’s not giving up – she really thinks she has a chance – but everyone in Sam’s circle knows it’s not going to happen and she’s fighting a losing battle.”

Then Zara started posting pictures of her and Sam, making everyone think they were back together

Despite all of this going on, Zara posted a picture on Instagram, captioned: “I choose you. And I’ll choose you over and over. Without pause, without a doubt, in a heartbeat. I’ll keep choosing you.” The photo was of her and Sam kissing, and yes, everyone then became very confused.

This was all going on whilst Sam looked completely unfazed. He’d unfollowed Zara on Instagram, and whilst she was posting this his story showed him at home watching Harry Potter.

Zara posted loads of begging messages on Instagram

via Instagram

In a desperate attempt to win Sam back, Zara posted a three minute video of couple pictures and clips, with written captions alongside, expressing how much she loved Sam and how she was sorry things hadn’t worked out. She basically begged for Sam to give her another chance.

Captioning the video, Love Island star Zara wrote: “TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE… There aren’t enough words to describe how I feel about you. You are my favourite person, my truest love. I made this video montage for you of our memories over these last few years. I want to create a million more memories like these throughout the rest of my life… with you.”

She continued: “I am sorry our journey hasn’t been the easiest, and I am forever wishing I could find a way to turn back the clock. Remember… you are everything. You are my moon and all my stars and everything in between. ❤️ I miss you. I love you more and more every day.”

The soundtrack to the video was “Over and Over Again” by Nathan Sykes, and the video ended with Zara writing: “I promise I will love you over and over again”.

Just two days after she posted three three-minute long montage video of photos and clips of them both together, Zara posted more. She posted another quote which read: “But I want you to know that when I imagine myself happy, it is with you.”

It was then revealed Zara had given Sam a load of gifts to try and win him back

You have to hand it to Zara, she really pulled out all the stops to make sure she and Sam got back together. After all the Instagram messages, it was then revealed she’d gifted Sam loads of things to try and make a mends. During an episode of Made in Chelsea, Sam said she gave him an eternity ring, vitamins and protein bars as a way to win him back. Nice.

Zara was spotted leaving Sam’s house, and then the couple got back together

After all this drama, Zara was then spotted leaving Sam’s house… dressed in his clothes. Sam was pictured leaving his house shortly after. The suspicion of them being back together grew after Zara and Sam were seen at the same roast together, after a friend uploaded a video of them before swiftly deleting it.

Then, friends of the couple confirmed they were back together. They said: “They are certainly back together again. This finally happened about two weeks ago now. He took her back.”

Never forget the ‘YOU CAN’ scene on Made in Chelsea

Is it the end of the road for Sam and Zara? #MadeInChelsea pic.twitter.com/7eB43aezki

— Made in Chelsea (@E4Chelsea) October 19, 2020

No matter what, nobody will ever forget the epic “YOU CAN” scene the Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott cheating scandal gave us. Of course the whole thing was being documented on Made in Chelsea, and in one scene Zara was filmed crying and begging for Sam back, telling him “YOU CAN” forget everything she’d done and trust her again.

During all of this happening, Sam himself posted an Instagram post eating Nando’s using the audio. At this point, they were very much NOT together.

Sam Thompson is my level of petty pic.twitter.com/WxMKx3hhPj

— Ellie (@ellieegomersall) October 25, 2020

Now the couple have broken up, and apparently they never recovered from the cheating scandal

On New Year’s Day of 2025, it was reported Sam and Zara were all over, after spending Christmas apart. An insider 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.”

However, a further source said it was because of the cheating scandal, and Zara and Sam had never got over it. “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 as they did afterwards.

“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.”