When you turn up to work in the morning, you don’t expect to be quizzed on your ex’s new partner – but that’s exactly what happened to radio presenter Sam Thompson live on air.
The I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! winner was left speechless on his Hits Radio show when asked how he felt about One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson “stealing his girl” by a bold listener. Thompson dated Zara McDermott from 2019 until 2024, with the Strictly Come Dancing star moving on with singer Tomlinson the following year.
While Thompson has now moved on with DJ and model Talitha Balinska, he was grilled during his show on Thursday (9 April) by listener Holly who asked: “How do you feel about playing the song from One Direction, “Steal My Girl”, knowing that actually one of the One D boys did actually steal your girl?”
Immediately realising that Holly was referring to McDermott’s new boyfriend Tomlinson, a shocked Thompson began silently laughing – with Holly adding: “Are you still there, Sam?”
Sam eventually responded: “I am live on air, Holly. How do I feel? Personally, I mean this when I say it, it’s a brilliant song. I still listen to it on the tube.”
He added that there’s no bad blood between him, his ex and her pop star partner. “I don’t actually feel weird about it because I feel quite happy as long as everyone else is happy. I think everyone’s found their person and I think that’s really, really nice.
“I’ve actually met said guy and he seems like a really nice dude. So actually, I feel pretty, pretty good about it actually, to be fair. And it is an absolute banger. Everyone is looking for love.”
Fans praised Thompson for keeping his cool during the awkward moment, with one writing on X: “Omg I’m dead Sam handled it soo well tho.” Another wrote on TikTok: “The audacity to say this directly to him on a radio.”
A third commended his “respectful answer” to the question, while another added: “All jokes aside this was handled so well by Sam considering he’s live and caught off guard.”
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The brother of Made in Chelsea’s Louise Thompson, the reality star rose to fame on the same E4 show before tackling Celebrity Big Brother, Celebs Go Dating, Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and other series that have become a right of passage for TV personalities.
Joining Hits Radio in 2022, his broadcasting career was bolstered by him winning I’m A Celebrity the following year – while then-girlfriend McDermott took part in Strictly Come Dancing.
The couple split in 2024, with McDermott – who went from Love Island in 2018 to presenting documentaries for BBC Three – confirming her new relationship with singer Tomlinson in May 2025. Tomlinson and Thompson found themselves playing against one in a football match for Soccer Aid that year.
