11 December 2023 , 19:20
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Sam Thompson has spoken about how he can’t wait to be reunited with girlfriend Zara McDermott after she couldn’t make it to the jungle.
The star opened up following his jungle victory in an exclusive wide-ranging chat with the Mirror’s Tom Bryant. He revealed she couldn’t get Down Under because of her competing in Strictly Come Dancing.
“I’ve really, really, really missed my goose, and I can’t wait to get home and give her a squeeze,” Sam says “She said that she can’t wait to spend Christmas together and just do little stupid little things, like getting cosy on the sofa and decorating the tree, all things that she knows I wanted to hear. “I’m like a hobbit, and sit in a hole for most of the year.”
Sam Thompson beat Tony Bellew and Nigel Farage to be crowned King of the Jungle (Tim Merry/Mirror Express)Sam also told how he phoned Zara at 4am after being crowned the winner.
“She said she’s fallen in love with me all over again and that this is the most proud she’s ever been,” says Sam. “It was so lovely to hear, as it had been a long month and she was obviously my first call, and I needed to hear her voice to remind me of home, even though she said I probably smell.”
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But Zara was not alone in falling in love with Sam as viewers were equally bowled over by his combo of wide-eyed innocence and lovable charm.
Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott live together in London (Getty Images)
Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott have been together since 2019 (Getty Images)In the end, he secured a whopping 56.6% of the vote with former professional boxer Tony Bellew coming second with 43.4%, while former Ukip leader Nigel Farage took third place.
But while his affection for Zara is clear, he laughs when he says he spectacularly failed to communicate with her mid-show - unlike fellow camper Marvin Humes. Viewers spotted the JLS star touching his heart with his right fist every time his name was called out during the live evictions.
“Marvin told me that he did it so his kids and Rochelle knew it was for them, and that he was OK. I was like “oh sh** I haven’t come up with any.” The bad weather and lack of food was top of the celebrity’s pet-hates about life in the jungle for this series. But talking to Sam, he says he didn’t experience similar peeves because it was off-set by the general excitement of being in the jungle .
“It might be different for proper celebrities going into the jungle who might not be as big a fan of the show or haven’t watched it as much, but I just thought I won’t get a chance to do this again.”