Made in Chelsea star Sam Thompson has sparked speculation about his relationship with Talitha Balinska after sharing a cryptic Instagram post with his cat and mysterious caption
Sam and Talitha went official last month
Sam Thompson has dropped a massive hint he’s parted ways with his new girlfriend in a mysterious Instagram post.
He appeared cosy with the feline – who he previously shared with ex Zara McDermott, 29 – yet added the puzzling caption: “Starting 2026 as I mean to go on.” Sam then followed this with a red emoji love heart.
The phrasing, combined with the image of just him and his pet, prompted some to believe he was single – and focusing his energy on his domestic life. However, his supporters will undoubtedly be hoping his romance with glamorous Talitha stays on course.
His post emerged after ex Zara shared a loved-up photograph with her partner, Louis Tomlinson, following the pair taking a major step forward in their relationship. Following months of courtship, Sam revealed at the start of December that he and Talitha had become “official”.
Chatting to his best mate Pete Wicks on their Staying Relevant podcast, Sam confirmed they had elevated their romance to the next stage. He enthusiastically declared: “I’ve got a girlfriend. I’ve got a girlfriend!”.
Sam then shared the moment he invited Talitha for a dinner date, saying: “Yeah, I just, I just said, ‘Look, I really like you. I mean, I really, really like you and you make me feel really… comfortable.'”.
The star went on to say: “You know, I wouldn’t be dating someone this amount of time if I didn’t think it had legs to last. So will you be my girlfriend?’ And she said ‘yes’. And so I said, ‘great'”.
In December, the former King of the I’m A Celeb jungle returned from Australia, where he was filming for I’m A Celeb’s spin-off show Unpacked. While he was in Australia, his new girlfriend Talitha was settling into his £3M Chelsea home.
Sam has also introduced Talitha to his sister Louise, her fiancé Ryan, and their son Leo, even sharing a photo of the occasion.
Meanwhile, Sam and his previous girlfriend Zara, who starred together on Made In Chelsea, ended their relationship last December. The pair spent the festive season apart, confirming shortly afterwards that they had called it quits following “a tough year”. It’s claimed the duo grew apart due to busy individual careers and different life goals. Before their split, they would often been seen at public events, despite previous challenges like her past infidelity.
Just last month, Sam revealed the steps he took to get over his break-up with Zara. While the separation was reportedly amicable and a mutual decision after a tough year, Sam has confessed to the struggles he faced as the pair went their separate ways. Speaking alongside his best pal Pete Wicks, Sam admitted he doesn’t talk about his past with Zara “out of politeness”.
He told Mail Online : “I respect that we’ve both kept it that way. But I don’t know one person who enjoys going through a break-up. I needed therapy to help me process that change in my life.
“I worked so hard last year, I neglected friends and family, even myself a bit. One of the big takeaways was to give myself some time, otherwise the danger is you get ill. We like to think we’re superheroes but then we burn out.”
Zara went Instagram official with her new boyfriend, One Direction star Louis Tomlinson
And Sam also opened up on his desire to be a dad in the future. The former Made In Chelsea man, 33, has often been open about his hopes. He added: ” I’d love to have kids and I refuse to date unless I can see a long-term future in it.”
