EXCLUSIVE: Sam Thompson escapes breakup woes with Zara McDermott by joining first celeb series of The Circle alongside TOWIE pal Pete Wicks
Sam Thompson has escaped his breakup woes with Zara McDermott by joining the first celebrity series of The Circle.
The Made In Chelsea star, 28, who split from Zara, 23, last month after discovering she cheated on him, has been filming the Channel 4 show this week alongside close pal and TOWIE regular Pete Wicks, 31.
MailOnline revealed the pair had ended their 16-month romance after Sam found out Zara had been unfaithful with someone she met on The X Factor: Celebrity.
Distraction: Sam Thompson has escaped his breakup woes with Zara McDermott by joining the first celebrity series of The Circle alongside TOWIE pal Pete Wicks
A source revealed: ‘Sam has swapped Zara for Pete as his new housemate this week.
‘He’s been living with Pete in a block of flats filming The Circle with no access to the outside world, which may have come as a relief following his split from Zara.
‘Sam’s bromance with Pete really blossomed during their time together on Celebs Go Dating, so they were more than happy to compete on The Circle as a duo.’
An insider told MailOnline on Friday that Sam and Zara had been in a relationship for several months at the point of the Love Islander’s infidelity, but Sam has only recently found out.
Bitter end: The Made In Chelsea star, 28, split from Zara, 23, last month after discovering she cheated on him at the beginning of their 16-month relationship
Zara appeared on the X Factor spinoff series, which aired last autumn, as part of Love Island group No Love Lost.
Sam would often support his girlfriend during live filming of the show at ITV studios.
A source said: ‘Zara cheated on Sam with someone in the music industry. Someone connected to the X Factor.
‘Sam is obviously distraught about this. He only found out about it very recently and has escaped for a few days.
‘Zara regrets it and feels terrible. She knows it was a huge mistake and is extremely upset.’
Moving on: A source said: ‘Sam’s been living with Pete in a block of flats filming The Circle with no access to the outside world, which may have come as a relief following his split from Zara’
Silence: Sam’s participation in the show explains his absence from social media in the wake of his split from former Zara, who has continued to post revealing pictures on her Instagram
The first celebrity series of The Circle will air in January as part of C4’s Stand Up To Cancer charity campaign.
Denise Van Outen, Geordie star Charlotte Crosby, YouTuber Saffron Barker and RuPaul’s Baga Chipz, will all star in next year’s series.
Celebs taking part will have lived alongside each other in a block of flats but without meeting, aside from Sam and Pete who shared their apartment in a show twist.
They communicate and rate each other through a specially designed social media platform, which allows them to ‘catfish’ other contestants if they so wish.
Sam’s participation in the show explains his absence from his own social media in the wake of his split from former Love Island star Zara, who has continued to post revealing bikini pictures on her Instagram.