Just like his ex Zara McDermott, who is now dating One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, Sam Thompson has officially moved on, confirming his new relationship.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 33, has hard launched his new girlfriend; producer, DJ and model Talitha Balinska, revealing to best pal Pete Wicks the pair are officially an item following months of dating.
The new couple was set up by Sam’s friend and former MIC co-star Reza Amiri-Garroussi, two years after they first met when Talitha modelled the friends’ sunglasses brand, Dinelli.
When they met in 2023, Sam and Zara were still going strong, but he and Talitha reconnected recently after she was invited as a surprise guest to his live show at the O2 Arena.
Speaking with Pete on the latest episode of their Staying Relevant podcast, Sam said: ‘I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ve got a girlfriend!’
Pete joked: ‘We’ve lost him again to the dark powers of a woman.’
Discussing the moment Sam asked Talitha to be his girlfriend, the TV personality said: ‘Mate, it was just super relaxed. It was so boring, really, but that’s kind of how I wanted it to be.
‘We just went for dinner, and I was like, “I really like you”. And I just went, “I’d love to be your boyfriend”. I don’t know why I’m panicking more now!’
He went on: ‘Yeah, I just said, “Look, I really, really like you, and you make me feel really… comfortable. I feel like I can be myself around you. I don’t want to be dating anyone else.
‘I’m 33, I wouldn’t be dating someone this amount of time if I didn’t think it had legs to last. So will you be my girlfriend?” And she said “yes”. And so I said, “great”.’
To this, Pete congratulated Sam and noted how far he’d come since last Christmas, which saw the breakdown of his relationship with Zara.
Full of excitement, Sam – who is planning on taking Talitha skiing with his sister Louise Thompson and her partner Ryan Libbey – said: ‘Christmas is back on!’
Who is Sam Thompson’s new girlfriend Talitha Balinska?
While Talitha isn’t massively in the public eye, she has 500,000 followers on TikTok and seems embedded in the SW4 cohort, as current MIC star Alice Yaxley is a good friend.
Talitha recently attended the engagement party of pal Alice and Sam Vanderpump, who is the nephew of Real Housewives legend Lisa Vanderpump.
On Sam and Talitha’s blossoming relationship, a source told The Sun in October: ‘They’ve only been on a couple of dates, but Sam is smitten and thinks Talitha is really smart and talented.
‘They have lots in common and have scintillating chats, Sam works really hard and enjoys letting his hair down in his spare time.’
The I’m A Celebrity star hinted at their relationship on his social media in October, revealing they bonded over making a Harry Potter lego world on a date.
In the skit video on Instagram, Sam revealed to his sister, Louisa Thompson, that he had a real date coming up, and it cut to him building Harry Potter village Hogsmeade with 3,000 pieces of LEGO.
Talitha, who clearly finds Sam’s intense interests endearing, then sat down next to him, wearing a wizard’s hat, and asked: ‘What did I miss?’
A source previously revealed in March that while Sam is focusing on his career, he was finding it difficult to see Zara and Louis’ relationship blossom in the headlines.
An insider told Metro: ‘Sam is hurting after seeing the photos of Zara and Louis on a date.
‘He’s been dealing with the heartbreak of his split from Zara – it’s only been a few months, and they were together for five years, as well as living together.
‘Seeing her move on so quickly isn’t easy, but he’s focusing on himself and has a lot going on in his career going forward.’
Sam Thompson’s dating history as his new girlfriend is revealed
Tiffany Watson (2014 to 2017): The Made In Chelsea pair had an on-off relationship for three years before calling it quits.
Amelia Lily (2017): Sam and singer Amelia developed feelings for each other in the Big Brother house, and their relationship continued for a short while outside the show. Sam admitted he ‘didn’t treat Amelia very well’.
Sophie Habboo (2018): Made In Chelsea fans will remember that before Jamie Laing swept Sophie off her feet, Sam and her dated while on the show for around six months.
Zara McDermott (2019 – 2024): Sam and Zara were in a five-year relationship, but split last year. It was claimed their bond ‘never recovered from her cheating’ on him, a drama which famously played out on Made in Chelsea.
In between his split from Zara and his new romance with Talitha, Sam dated Love Island‘s Samie Elishi, 25, for a few months before the romance was said to ‘fizzle out’.
In what might have been an awkward encounter, Sam and Talitha were at a beauty event in October, which Samie also attended.
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘Talitha and Samie had mutual friends at the event but avoided speaking to each other.
‘They sat at the same table but avoided conversation for the duration of the dinner.’
The original version of this article was published on October 15.
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