I'm A Celeb: Why Zara McDermott didn't greet Sam Thompson in Australia

The popular TV show, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, announced its latest jungle champion on December 10, 2023, with Sam Thompson taking home the coveted title. However, his girlfriend, Zara McDermott, was not in attendance. It was his best friend and co-host of their podcast, Pete Wicks, who joined him for an emotional reunion on the bridge. This has raised questions about why Zara was not there.

If you weren't aware, Sam from Made In Chelsea emerged as the winner of this year's competition, triumphing over competitors such as Tony Bellew and Nigel Firage to secure the top spot.

Ant and Dec announced Sam as the winner and he was welcomed by his buddy Pete instead of his girlfriend, with whom he had an emotional reunion a few days earlier in the jungle.

Recently, Zara disclosed that she couldn't travel to Australia to cheer for her partner. The reason behind this is her participation in the current season of Strictly Come Dancing. Both of them assumed that Zara would still be a contestant on the program.

"But honestly, Sam believed that I would still participate in Strictly (aww, he's so hopeful), which led Pete to empty his schedule for 2-3 weeks just for my sake," expressed Zara through her Instagram Stories.

Zara departed from Strictly on Halloween week, before Sam went to the jungle. She mentioned that she had to quickly return to work after the show ended to complete two of her documentaries before the holiday season. Currently, she is filming the documentaries in a foreign location and also has rehearsals for the final dance number of Strictly.

It proved to be a challenging task to clear everything, yet Sam's enthusiasm about Pete's presence was so great that he did not mind leaving me behind at the base.

After Sam was declared the champion, Zara posted on her Instagram to express her response. They watched the last showdown with their loved ones. It was very adorable.

Sam and Zara have been in a relationship since May of 2019. Sam shared that it was Zara who initiated their contact on Instagram Direct Messages. They later publicly announced their relationship via Instagram during the summer of the same year, and decided to cohabitate. Despite a temporary split in 2020 due to Zara's infidelity, they reunited and have since continued their love journey with even greater fortitude.