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Sam Thompson was reportedly ‘blindsided and embarrassed’ when he found out that his ex Zara McDermott was dating Louis Tomlinson.
The Made In Chelsea star, 32, split from Love Islander Zara, 28, in December after five years together and she has now moved on with One Direction star Louis, 33.
Zara and Louis were spotted enjoying a romantic date over the weekend after he whisked her away to a hotel for the night.
But Sam is said to have been ‘blindsided’ by the news that his ex had moved on with the boyband star.
A source told The Sun: ‘Sam is obviously devastated by the news, he was with Zara for years and the break-up has hit him hard.
‘He’s taking some time out to focus on himself – it’s completely blindsided and embarrassed him.’
They added: ‘He didn’t expect Zara to move on so quickly and he’s still dealing with the aftermath of the split.’
The source said that Sam has been struggling with the break up and been focusing on work commitments as a distraction, as well as spending time with family and friends.
The news of her romance with Louis has seen Zara’s dating history surface – and a major pattern emerged.
Sam is currently on holiday but was informed by Zara, 28, about her new relationship before it was made public – and he was seen smiling through the pain on Tuesday in an Instagram snap.
Zara has been hugely successful since her days on Love Island, even competing on Strict’y Come Dancing, and has carved out a career in documentary making.
But a source told The Sun that her real passion is music, something which will be known to fans after she competed on Celebrity X Factor.
And her connection to Louis could serve as an in for her to make her mark on the music industry.
The source said: ‘She’s always done well to reinvent herself over the years and has been prepared to make the necessary changes to her career and personal life to take things to the next level.
‘But while her modelling and TV work have progressed, her true passion – music – has taken a bit of a back seat.
‘A relationship with Louis would allow her to submerge herself into music and let her focus on her passion that she has neglected in recent years.’
Sam – who is said to be ‘humiliated’ by the news – has since made a cryptic remark about ‘people looking for validation in others’ as he insisted he is not ready to date again in an apparent dig at his ex-girlfriend.
Yet despite his heartache over Zara moving on so quickly, sources close to Sam exclusively told MailOnline he holds no grudges against Louis over the new romance.
A source close to the star said: ‘Sam has no hard feelings towards Louis, that’s for sure.
‘As far as he’s concerned, Louis is Zara’s new man and he’s just got to accept it.
‘He’s a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he’s got coming up.
‘Obviously he was sad when their relationship broke up and, like anyone, when your ex moves so quickly it’s tough. And if he was both angry and devastated, that would be understandable.
‘But he’s not sitting around wallowing in self pity, far from it.’
Sam will come face-to-face with Louis when they will be teammates when England play the Rest of the World at this year’s Soccer Aid in June.
‘When he meets Louis at Soccer Aid he’ll treat him like any other teammate, there’s no bad blood,’ the source added.
