30 March 2023 , 15:43
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Zara McDermott has revealed she doesn't feel pressured to take her relationship with Sam Thompson to "the next step".
The star who found fame on Love Island back in 2018 has been in a relationship with Thompson since 2019 and often shares insights on their social media.
However, despite both Zara, 26, and Sam, 30, living public lives having appeared on a string of shows including Made In Chelsea, as well as The X Factor Celebrity, Zara insists that their relationship is quite private.
In a candid revelation, she explained that they no longer feel the pressures of their romance being played out for all to see.
Zara McDermott has opened up about her relationship with Sam Thompson (zara_mcdermott/instagram)
The couple have been together since 2019 (Zara McDermott/Instagram)Speaking to the Mirror in partnership with Mars Petcare and Battersea: "We have a very normal relationship, we just make funny videos and that's our thing we do for fun.
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"I think we've been together too long now to feel any kind of pressure, I was thinking back to my relationships before Love Island, it's very different.
"Everything is private, nobody knows anything about what you're doing and all of a sudden, it's this weird paradox life where everything is online all the time but we both really enjoy it. So for us, there's no pressure at all."
But while many question when the couple are going to become engaged, Zara explains that the ever-changing times means women can be just as successful as their other halves.
Zara is hoping more landlords will let properties to tenants with pets (James Linsell-Clark SWNS)"I personally think in the media, a lot of the time women are asked these questions because of traditional values and expectations of women," she said before adding: "I think nowadays, we're in the 21st Century, we can be more than a wife and more than a mother.
"I'm all about empowering women to be exactly who they want to be and not feeling any kind of pressure.
"We don't live in a world where we need to be traditional anymore, I wouldn't say I get fed up with it but I understand it."
Zara admits that they no longer feel pressured to take their relationship to the next step (Sam Thompson /Instagram)
They often share amusing clips on social mediaShe continued: "I just think that hopefully with the work that I'm doing, I'm building a bigger narrative, of what I want my life to be and how I want it to go, rather than making it about traditional expectations."
Zara is currently working alongside Mars Petcare and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home to raise awareness of the challenges that tenants and landlords face when it comes to renting and letting properties with pets.
Currently, Zara lives with her two beloved ragdoll cats Cedric and Albus and also allows people who rent her home to live with pets.
On how she would advise fellow landlords, she said: "You do have some understanding and empathy for landlords, I wouldn't want to see my property damaged.
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"I also know that a lot of the time, tenants with pets are willing to pay a slightly higher deposit, there are insurances you can get and tenants with pets are more likely to sign a longer lease.
"It't is all about taking things on a case-by-case basis, you know, meeting the tenant and meeting the pet, I just think that for me, as a landlord, I would rather there be a pet in my property than a pet in a shelter."
The animal lover, landlord and owner of two cats said: "As a cat parent to Cedric and Albus, I know first-hand just how much joy pets can bring to life every day. The thought of loving pet owners having to choose between remaining in their home and keeping their pet is just awful, which is why I’m so pleased to be working with Mars Petcare and Battersea to help pet owners get clued up with the Petiquette Guide to Rentals and Pet Ownership."