Strictly Come Dancing star Zara McDermott once penned a letter to her boyfriend and apologised for the “pain and embarrassment” she caused him.
The former Love Island contestant had confessed to ‘cheating’ on her boyfriend Sam Thompson with music mogul-type Brahim Fouradi. This occurred during her stint on The X Factor: Celebrity with No Love Lost back in 2019.
In a heartfelt message posted in 2020 on her Instagram, Zara 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.”
Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson
“I don’t condone being unfaithful and I made a huge mistake at a time in my life when I was hugely selfish and immature. I believe I have learnt so much from my mistake.”
Zara continued: “I want to apologise to my Sam for everything I have put him through, for the pain, the embarrassment, the anger and the hurt.”
“All I want to do is make this right and I think the least he deserves is me being honest with myself and all of you. I love you, Sam. Forever,” she concluded her post.
Speaking to Heat at the time, Sam’s friend TOWIE star Pete Wicks said: “He’s doing well. He’s a good guy. I think it was all a bit of a shock but he’s doing well. He’s still young and he’s a catch so he’s got his whole life ahead of him. The world is his oyster.”
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Why did Zara cheat on Sam?
Zara told Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing that she cheated on Sam at a time when she thought their relationship was going to end.
I want to apologise to my Sam for everything I have put him through, for the pain, the embarrassment, the anger and the hurt.
She said: “When it happened I genuinely thought that me and Sam were going to break up, inevitably. I just thought we were hanging on by a tiny thread and we’re going to break up.”
Jamie wasn’t entirely pleased. He said: “Listen, from a guy’s point of view I just wouldn’t make any excuses for it, obviously.”
“I’m not, at all, I’m not,” said Zara. But fans seemed to have none of it and even claimed she was crying “fake tears” to “justify her cheating”.
Despite the drama, Zara and Sam are still together. She confirmed they were dating once again as they celebrated her 24th birthday together.
Sam believed in forgiveness
Speaking to MailOnline at the time, Sam revealed why he reunited with Zara. He explained: “I believe in forgiveness. I understand the context – and I think in any walk of life you can’t move forward unless you forgive.
“Forgiveness allows you to heal. You can only heal when you forgive the other person and get over that.”
He added: “I would definitely say no matter what you should always try to forgive and you’ll feel better in yourself, it’s [bleep] easier said than done but you’ve got to strive for that.”
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