Zara McDermott admits fans fuelling engagement rumours has ‘taken the fun out of it’ as she opens up on romance

ZARA McDermott said fans fuelling engagement rumours has “taken the fun out of it” – saying she wants the proposal to still be a surprise.

The Love Island star, 26, and boyfriend Sam Thompson recently sparked engagement rumours during a trip to South Africa.

Zara shared a flurry of loved-up snaps with the former Made In Chelsea star, 30, promoting fans to speculate if the pair were engaged.

Despite thanking her loyal fans for their support, Zara has now admitted that she would like the proposal to be authentic.

Speaking exclusively to The Celeb Report, Zara said: “I would definitely like to get engaged in the next five years but I think sometimes people commenting on it so much, it kind of takes the fun out of it.

“For me, I guess in the last six months, I’m so focused on my career and what I’m doing, that sometimes I forget that there’s people wanting that for us.

“That’s so lovely that people love us so much as a couple that they feel that way but I also do want it to feel like a surprise – it take the surprise away.”

Last month Sam praised Zara for helping him spot signs of his undiagnosed ADHD.

Sam followed in Zara into factual film-making and showed a more serious side for his Channel 4 documentary exploring ADHD.

Zara told us at the BAFTAs that Sam’s diagnosis has made their relationship “stronger” and they are now finally able to have conversations that were previously difficult to approach.

She said: “When you start being with someone you except them for who they are and you get into that relationship knowing and understanding who they are.

“I guess for him, it was understanding who he is and why he might have certain feelings to certain things or may have certain reactions to things that may be different from me.

“And understanding why that is so integral and has really elevated our relationship and made us stronger, because we now as a couple can sit down and have proper conversations about things, whereas might have had questions marks over – like why he feels a certain way about things or why he leaves everything to the last minute or why he forgets his keys five times a week.

“Just having that understanding and awareness of it changes so much in a relationship, because it means I understand why.”

Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD? showed him as he underwent testing after years of exhibiting signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Speaking about how his undiagnosed ADHD affected his relationship with Zara, Sam told The Celeb Report: “She is amazing, if I didn’t have Zara I would say it would affect more but she’s so relaxed and just loves me for me.

“I wake up every morning and I’m like surely that can’t be real.”