How Sam Thompson made a career from being hopeless at love and heartbroken – as ex Zara moves on with Louis Tomlinson

LOVEABLE Sam Thompson is very much the heartbreak kid when it comes to his past relationships.

But the unlucky in love star has used his sad splits to his advantage by creating the persona of a fun-loving yet hopeless romantic who puts his heart on the line for all to see.

It's helped endear him to the public, who view him as an excitable puppy that gives his all and admits when he gets things wrong.

At times even his exes have been unable to find fault with him beyond stating that he simply wasn't the right one for them.

Made In Chelsea‘s Sophie Habboo was with Sam for six months in 2018 and the old trope that nice guys finish last couldn't have been more fitting.

She ended up marrying Jamie Laing after their split – and, in her words, Sam was just a little too perfect boyfriend material.

She previously toldnew! magazine: “His best was that he doted on my hand and foot, but his worst was maybe that he doted on me too much. Some girls like that, I don't. For me, I don't like someone who's needy. Independence is key for me.“

Perhaps he was trying a little too hard to right the wrongs of his previous relationship with X Factor star Amelia Lily, who he met on Celebrity Big Brother.

Their short-lived partnership came to an end in 2017 and with it Sam admitted that he didn't treat Amelia quite right.

He said: “I make no qualms about it, I didn’t treat Amelia Lily very well. I didn’t treat my ex-girlfriend very well hence why she dumped me.

“I had been down there on the floor for a bit and I think it's time to pick myself up a bit. All my family and friends are like ‘dude just get on with it' and everyone else is.”

During his first showbiz relationship with Made In Chelsea‘s Tiff Watson he was devastated to learn she had a holiday fling behind his back.

Though they eventually worked through it, a rare break from his nice guy persona saw Sam sleep with co-star Mimi Bouchard, admittedly while he and Tiff were on another break.

Ultimately, it was just a little too close to home for Tiff and the relationship never recovered.

Sam was reflective after the split and accepted that he lacked maturity.

“I wasn't malicious,” he said to OK!. “But I wasn't mature enough. If I met her later in life, things would have probably worked out differently. I didn't pay enough attention to Tiff.”

He even drafted in Gemma Collins to help him bounce back by offering him dating advice on his YouTube channel.

She advised him to find an Essex girl and gave him tips for his dating profile, before encouraging him to video a call a potential match.

Though he was ecstatic to set up a meet, the date failed to ignite and Sam remained single.

He used his failed romances as a springboard to try new things in the reality TV world and two appearances on Celebs Go Dating followed, including one series with his best pal Pete Wicks.

Neither provided him with lasting love though, but it could be argued they paved the way for his five-year romance with Zara McDermott after the show's experts helped him get a better understanding of who he is and what it is he wants.

In their early days, relationship struggles were caught on camera on Made In Chelsea.

Sam garnered much sympathy after it emerged Zara had cheated on him with a top music exec while she was competing on Celebrity X Factor.

Harnessing the years of reality TV love sickness, Sam poured his heart out in front of the cameras and viewers felt devastated for him.

On said at the time: “Poor Sam he's actually grown up a-lot and conducts himself so much better, hopefully he finds the woman that will treat him how he deserves. This is awful imagine for everyone to see also.”

Another said: “He handled that so well, the old Sam would have took her back… well done to him, he knows he’s better than that and knows he would never trust her again…”

He eventually did take Zara back and they looked like one of television‘s most solid couples in recent years, regularly sharing funny videos from their posh West London home.

Last year Sam even revealed he wanted to host his own reality dating show, which would be perfect for someone who has been through it all over the last decade.

Whether that dream comes to fruition now he's a single man once again following their shock split in December remains to be seen, but it's likely he'll be inundated with offers from women who wanted to be treated perfectly.

And from a career perspective he hasn't put a foot wrong with PR expert Lynn Carratt insisting he's “playing it exactly the right way”.

Speaking on behalf ofFruitySlots.com, she told Flying Eze: “Sam recently spoke out on hisStaying Relevant podcastabout how he was practising self-love and how he can't move on quickly; many saw that as a subtle dig at Zara after she is thought to have moved on with Louis Tomlinson, but I believe it is how he genuinely feels.

“Sam is genuinely a nice guy whose main focus at the moment is his career and he works hard, and his job is going from strength to strength; he doesn't go out a lot and likes to spend his downtime at home gaming or watching Harry Potter.

“The split with Zara is believed to be mutual, and there was no drama or no ill feeling. I would advise Sam to deal with the aftermath of the split in the same way as he is; listen, we all have different coping mechanisms, and to me, Sam is PR's dream.”;