01 October 2023 , 23:01
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Zara McDermott is a bad dancer. That’s the verdict not of some acid-tongued Strictly Come Dancing judge but of her loving boyfriend Sam Thompson.
Made in Chelsea star Sam, 31, on red carpet hosting duty at the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with TSB this coming Sunday, said: “I couldn’t wait to see Zara perform, because I’ve done the TikTok dances with her and…” He tries – and fails – to think of a diplomatic way to put it. “With my TV head on, she’s perfect to the viewer because she is a terrible dancer.”
Laughing at the trouble he’s going to get himself into when she reads his comments, he points out: “This is the whole point of Strictly, you get people from different backgrounds who can’t dance. You want to see the journey. I don’t want to see someone who’s ready-made, because what’s the point in that? I’ll go and see a show instead.”
Sam will be hosting the Pride of Britain awards with Pete Wicks and Judie McCourt (JAMES RUDLAND)
Zara has been training with her Strictly partner Graziano Di Prima (PA)Zara may have started poorly but no one can accuse her of lacking effort. She has danced so hard that skin peeled off her big toe – which she dramatically described online as her toe “coming off” – and her scores are up. Paired with professional dancer Graziano Di Prima, the 26-year-old Love Island star and documentary presenter did a quickstep last Saturday that scored a respectable three sixes and a five.
She’s a draw for dance fans too – especially Sam’s family. He says his mum and grandparents were beside themselves when Zara was approached by Strictly. He says: “They want to adopt her. My grandma’s like, ‘I can’t believe it!’ “They’ll all be fighting over tickets to get into the audience, I’ll probably have to give up my space to them.”
Zara’s grandparents, who were in the audience to watch her quickstep at the weekend, are over the moon too. Sam says: “Her family are so sweet, so lovely, and her grandparents are incredibly supportive of everything she’s done, so I think she wants her family to be there a lot, because it’s such a huge deal.
Love Island's Haris spills on unaired row between Zara and Tanyel
Zara has previously starred in Made in Chelsea alongside Sam“She’s definitely not taking it for granted. The whole family have tickets for different weeks, so I’m going to have to somehow shoehorn my way in. I might have to sneak in through the back door! I’m really, really excited for her.” The couple are stronger than ever four years on from Zara’s infidelity when she appeared on X Factor: Celebrity, and Sam is adamant they won’t fall foul of the Strictly Curse, which has broken up around a dozen couples over the course of the show’s 20 series.
The pair moved in together in 2021 and now live next door to Sam’s sister Louise Thompson, who also made her name on Made in Chelsea. The trio, who still live in the West London district, frequently appear on Sam’s 1.3 million-follower TikTok account, as do Louise’s toddler son Leo and TOWIE star Pete Wicks.
But despite the couple’s love of making funny videos, there’s very little danger Sam will get roped in to practising the dance routines with Zara once she’s out of Graziano’s daily boot camp. He says: “Fleur East, who did Strictly last year, was telling me they essentially train 24/7, so Zara will probably want to come home and slouch on the sofa. By the sounds of it, you can’t put anything else in the diary.
The pair are a big fan of Tik Tok pranks (South Shore)“So I imagine she’ll want to come home to something nice I’ve cooked.” The last thing Zara will want, Sam concedes, is to be part of his many, many social media pranks. “She might be taking a little hiatus,” he says. “I’ll be like, ‘You’ve just learned some new moves, haven’t you? Let’s get TikToking!’ “But no, that’s fine for her to sit them out for a bit.
“I love making the videos, I have ADHD and I think it’s made me quite a visual person, so I watch a lot of things and often think, ‘Ooh, how could I incorporate that into my friendship group?’” Despite his years in the spotlight, Sam still gets starstuck and fears it will happen again when he hosts the Pride of Britain Awards red carpet with best pal and Staying Relevant podcast co-pres-enter Pete Wicks and radio host Judie McCourt.
Of a previous guest who might turn up, Sam says: “I’m a Noughties baby, so throw me a Peter Andre and I’m all over the gaff. “It’s such a wonderful event, and to be an actual part of it is pretty flipping cool. Last year I cried twice. It’s incredibly humbling. You sit there and think, ‘what have I done with my life?’”
Best mates Sam and Pete Wicks from Towie (JAMES RUDLAND)
Having nephew Leo has given Sam a whole new perspective on parenthood, having seen how Louise was left with PTSD after spending a month in intensive care following Leo’s arrival. He says Leo is at the “cutest age” now – but does that cuteness make him yearn for his own offspring yet?
“Yeah and no,” he says. “The best thing about having a nephew is you can give him back. But I’m so busy, Zara’s so busy, and we just love what we do so much, I just don’t think it would be fair to Zara or to the kid. “I believe I should only have a child when I can give it the time it deserves.”
- Watch Sam Thompson, Pete Wicks and Judie McCourt live from the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards on Sunday, October 8, at 5pm on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @prideofbritain.