“I’ve taken a step back to be more present” – Zara McDermott breaks silence with emotional post just days after boyfriend Louis Tomlinson’s brutal snub of ex Sam Thompson exposed in explosive Soccer Aid footage - suong

Zara McDermott has revealed she's 'taking a step back' from 'negative' social media just days after boyfriend Louis Tomlinson and ex Sam Thompson's feud was exposed.

The Strictly star, 28, took to her Instagram Stories with a lengthy post following MailOnline exclusively revealing the One Direction singer, 33, brutally snubbing former Made In Chelsea star Sam, 32, after the full-time whistle blew at Soccer Aid. 

Zara went public with Louis in March, following her split from the I'm A Celeb winner on New Years Day after a five year romance. 

Taking to social media she thanked fans for their support over her recent documentary, before revealing she would be taking a break to be 'more present'.

She wrote: 'I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who messaged me with regards to the story I posted the other day. If you didn't see it; I spoke about developing my next documentary and how I've been thinking of how to create a project about domestic abuse, coercive control and tech abuse'.

'I had thousands of message and I'm still going through them, but I wanted to say the biggest thank you ever. It's so nice speaking to you all because I've definitely taken a bit of  a step back from socials to focus on my documentaries and other work / just focusing on being more present recently'. 

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Zara McDermott, 28, has revealed she's 'taking a step back' from 'negative' social media just days after boyfriend Louis Tomlinson and ex Sam Thompson 's feud was exposed 

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It comes just days after MailOnline exclusively revealed the One Direction singer (R) brutally snubbing former Made In Chelsea star Sam (L) after the full-time whistle blew at Soccer Aid

 

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Taking to social media she thanked fans for their support over her recent documentary, before revealing she would be taking a break from her phone to be 'more present'

She went on: 'Social media feels quite heavy and a negative space sometimes... so to be able to feel like we can work together to do something super positive is a great feeling. thank you again. forever grateful to all of you who continue to support the work i do. it really means SO much'.

In a video obtained by MailOnline from Old Trafford on Sunday, Louis was seen embracing players and coaching staff from both sets of teams before conducting a TV interview.

But the singer ignored Sam when he came into view, turning his attention away and grimacing, before walking over to exchange pleasantries with other Soccer Aid stars.

Insiders were anticipating an awkward encounter between the pair after Louis started dating Zara shortly after the Soccer Aid squads were announced. 

While Sam and Louis did their best to dispel speculation of a feud by avoiding each other during the Soccer Aid training and match, the video, taken by a fan, proves animosity between the pair rumbles on.

An insider added: 'Louis is seen literally embracing every squad member on both sides, except Sam. And the fact he looks away as soon as he comes into eyesight says it all.

'Given the charity context of the occasion there was no way either Louis or Sam were going to let their emotions get the better of them, they were there to raise money and succeeded. But there's clearly no love lost between them.'

They avoided each other during a training session in the buildup to the match at Soccer Aid HQ, Champneys in Tring and were stationed on different sides of the changing room at Old Trafford, as they managed to keep any possible tension at bay. 

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In a video obtained by MailOnline from Old Trafford on Sunday, the One Direction star is seen turning away from the Made In Chelsea favourite, awkwardly avoiding any interaction 

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Insiders were anticipating an awkward encounter between the pair after Louis started dating Zara shortly after the Soccer Aid squads were announced 

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Zara went public with Louis in March, following her split from the I'm A Celeb winner on New Years Day after a five year romance (Sam and Zara pictured 2024)

Before Sunday's match, which raised over £15million for UNICEF, The Sun revealed Sam and Louis both attended a team bonding session at the squad's hotel to ease any tension.

Sam raised over £2million for the charity by taking part in a gruelling challenge, transporting the Soccer Aid match ball from Stamford Bridge, West London, to Old Trafford, Manchester, a 260-mile journey, via foot and bike.

He managed to complete the task but picked up so many injuries, the reality star was unable to feature prominently in the actual match.

The England teammates did not appear on the field together during the game, which was eventually won by the Rest of the World team, after Louis was withdrawn at half-time and Sam was introduced as a substitute with minutes remaining.

Speaking on his podcast, Staying Relevant, which he co-hosts with close friend Pete Wicks, Sam discussed overcoming a difficult start to the year by thoroughly committing himself to his Soccer Aid challenge.

Sam explained: 'I have never been so low but also so high at the same time... One of the things that I will say is that mentally I don't think there was a better time for me to do that.

'On Thursday, I left a lot on that road, I left a lot there and it was one of the most mentally freeing times I've ever had in my entire life.

'We rode and ran for the longest duration, all the way down the Welsh border and we finished in Liverpool, you know I'm a bit of a talker, but it was so hard, you just had to channel something.

'I left a lot of the year that I've had on that road, and I didn't speak for an hour and a half. I was riding the bike while crying for an hour and a half just tears streaming down my face just riding like I have never ridden before.

'I have never felt so emotionally depleted but also at peace.'