Sam Thompson ‘blindsided’ by Zara McDermott’s new relationship

Sam Thompson is reportedly struggling following their split

Earlier this week, Zara and One Direction's Louis Tomlinson 'confirmed' they were dating.

The singer and reality star were spotted dining at a Suffolk hotel with onlookers saying the pair looked "besotted."

Zara's ex-boyfriend Sam Thompson is reportedly devastated by the news and is struggling following their split.

An insider told The Sun that Sam didn't expect Zara to move on so soon after their break-up.

They shared: "Sam is obviously devastated by the news, he was with Zara for years and the break-up has hit him hard.

"He’s taking some time out to focus on himself – it’s completely blindsided and embarrassed him.

"He didn’t expect Zara to move on so quickly and he’s still dealing with the aftermath of the split," the insider shared.

They confirmed the podcast host is distracting himself with work following the major break-up.

Another source said there's no bad blood between Sam and Louis Tomlinson.

They said Sam is a "positive guy" and he will find a way to cope with the split.

"He’s a positive guy and will just move on from this, throwing himself into work and getting stuck into the exciting projects he’s got coming up," a source close to the former Made In Chelsea star told MailOnline.

Sam and Zara reportedly ended their five-year relationship before Christmas.

The couple had been fighting a lot before they both decided to end things.