Sam Thompson praised one of ex Zara McDermott‘s co-stars as he raved over her “unbelievable” body and reminisced about seeing her topless.
He released the latest episode of Staying Relevant, the podcast he shares with Pete Wicks, just hours after news broke about his love split on Wednesday. He’d previously spoken of how he hoped to marry Zara and have children with her in the future, after the relationship had survived her earlier infidelity.
However, on the podcast, he turned his attention to Pete Wicks‘ 2024 Strictly partner Jowita Przystal – and didn’t hesitate to shower her with praise. “Gotta say, a cracking pair of abdominals,” he exclaimed to Pete of the pro dancer.
“I couldn’t believe it – when she whacked off her top, I was like ‘F***ing hell!’ Unbelievable, washboard. Never seen anything like it.” Zara had also competed on Strictly the previous year, but Sam stated at the time that he saw the former Love Islander as a “terrible dancer”.
Explaining his comment at the Pride of Britain Awards, he continued: “This is the whole point of Strictly, you get people from different backgrounds who can’t dance. You want to see the journey. I don’t want to see someone who’s ready-made, because what’s the point in that? I’ll go and see a show instead.”
When Zara was working with Graziano di Prima, Jowita had been paired up with Paralympian Jody Cundy – but this year Jowita was placed with Zara and Sam’s mutual pal Pete.
Pete announced that Jowita was the winner of the Staying Relevant Awards he’d jokingly staged during the podcast.
Ahead of the critique of her abs, he reminded listeners that she’d stood in for Sam while he was in Australia filming I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
“Best new team member… I think it’s obvious. It’s someone who helped us out while Sam was away, we all love her,” Pete exclaimed.
He then cheekily went on to add: “Some have said she’s a good replacement and potentially better.
“She’s part of one of 2024’s most defining partnerships in TV land and she’s become a sensational part of this team. The winner is Jowita.”
While she’s had great success on Strictly as a pro, Zara’s experience was a less positive one, as she reported being kicked by Graziano di Prima (something he insists was accidental) and on a separate occasion had to dance through a broken leg only to be eliminated from the competition the same evening.
Despite recent Instagram posts celebrating Zara, a source told MailOnline of their pair’s break-up: “It’s been an incredibly difficult decision for them to part ways. They still care and have a lot of love for each other.
“But after a tough year of working hard at their romance, they have split and will be focusing on their individual careers going forward into 2025.”