Following her meteoric rise on Love Island 2018, Zara McDermott has become a familiar face on our TV screens. Alongside her boyfriend Sam Thompson, the 26-year-old TV star gained fame on Made in Chelsea, and she later hosted Love in the Flesh. Beyond her documentaries, she is a dynamic social media influencer, actively using her platform to share a glimpse into her everyday life with her followers. Breaking records, Zara McDermott has become the first-ever Love Island contestant to participate in the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing. What additional information can we gather about the former Love Island star?

Born on December 14, 1996, in the London Borough of Havering, England, Zara Nicole McDermott is the daughter of Alan and Karen McDermott.

The reality TV star comes from Essex, but she currently resides in London with her boyfriend, Sam Thompson.

In 2009, McDermott, along with her parents and younger brother Brad, made an appearance in the BBC television series Wanted Down Under. They returned to the screen in Wanted Down Under: Revisited, in 2013, where they discussed the reasons behind their choice to remain in the United Kingdom.

Before gaining fame as a media personality, McDermott worked as a policy advisor at the Department for Education.

In June 2018, McDermott joined the cast of Love Island's fourth season as a ‘bombshell’ contestant on Day 15. She initially coupled up with Adam Collard but left the villa just ten days later.

Following their relationship outside the show, they were together for almost a year before their relationship ended in February 2019.

In October 2019, McDermott joined The X Factor: Celebrity as a member of No Love Lost, a group that included her fellow Love Island co-stars Eyal Booker, Samira Mighty, and Wes Nelson. Their mentor was Louis Walsh, and they ended up in the eighth position.

Zara McDermott joined the cast of the E4 reality series Made in Chelsea in October 2019, alongside her boyfriend Sam Thompson. Her final appearance on the show was in December 2020.

Following her departure from Made in Chelsea, McDermott expressed her desire to concentrate on producing documentaries. In February 2021, she appeared in her own BBC documentary, Zara McDermott: Revenge Porn, where she revisited the painful experience of her private photos being leaked when she was a teenager.

Television presenter Zara McDermott took part in a documentary sequel in November 2021, titled Zara McDermott: Uncovering Rape Culture, drawing from her own near-rape experience.

Zara McDermott hosted the BBC Three dating series Love in the Flesh in March 2022, which featured couples who had communicated online and finally met face-to-face.

Reality star and documentary maker, Zara McDermott, took the lead once more in November 2022, this time in the documentary Zara McDermott: Disordered Eating.

The documentary Gaia: A Death on Dancing Ledge, hosted by Zara McDermott in July 2023, focused on the tragic events surrounding the disappearance and death of teenager Gaia Pope-Sutherland.

Just a month later, she made headlines by becoming the first Love Island cast member to join the twenty-first series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The TV star, McDermott is set to host a four-part documentary series titled Inside Ibiza for the BBC in 2024.

The former islander has amassed more than 1.7 million followers on her confirmed Instagram account. To keep up with her, make sure to follow @zara_mcdermott.

The reality star and documentary maker started dating television personality Sam Thompson in May 2019. Sam Thompson has moved on from his reality TV days to become a successful radio host.

The couple met on Instagram when Sam reached out to Zara through direct messages. She had just separated from the former Love Islander Adam Collard, while Sophie Habboo had ended her relationship with Sam.

Following the footsteps of numerous Love Island peers, Zara ventured into modelling for a period. The influencer was part of photo shoots with the Sandra Reynolds Commercial Modelling Agency from 2013 to 2016.