Zara McDermott says ‘animals know when you’re feeling sad’ after Sam Thompson split

She was dumped by her boyfriend of 16 months last month after reportedly cheating on him during the early stages of their relationship.

And Zara McDermott insisted ‘animals know when you’re feeling sad’ as she sought comfort in her cat in a clip shared to Instagram on Monday morning after her split from Sam Thompson.

The Love Island star, 23, went make-up free in the video as she stroked her cat just two days after Made In Chelsea‘s Sam, 28, was seen enjoying a night out with a stunning mystery woman at Amazonica in London. 

Model Zara appeared to make a reference to her break-up as she captioned the video: ‘Isn’t it crazy how animals just know when you’re feeling sad.’

Just a few hours earlier, the reality star confessed ‘we all make mistakes’ in a heartbroken post.

The former policy advisor shared a quote from US motivational speaker Steve Maraboli which read: ‘We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.’

She wrote alongside the quote: ‘I look at so many quotes online every day and they make me feel less alone. If you are going through a hard time. I have found that this really helps.’   

While Zara has yet to publicly confirm or deny claims she cheated on former beau Sam, the TV star has been sharing cryptic quotes on social media. 

A source revealed to MailOnline that a tryst took place between Zara and ‘someone in the music industry’ around the time she took part in X Factor: Celebrity.

The reality star appeared on the series last summer and autumn, as part of the Love Island pop group No Love Lost.

At this point, she had been in a relationship with Sam for several months – but it’s said the newly-single star has only recently found out about the infidelity. 

A source told MailOnline: ‘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

‘Zara and Sam split towards the end of last month. They had been arguing a lot since moving in together as a result of lockdown and things just built up between them.

‘Zara has moved back to her parents’ house in Essex where she’s taking some time for herself, she really loved Sam so this hasn’t been easy for her.

‘Sam has gone away to have a break from it all and clear his head away from Zara and social media.’ 

MailOnline contacted representatives for Zara and Sam for comment at the time.