Zara McDermott has shared a series of Instagram Stories for the first time since unfounded rumors about her and Joey Essex.
Zara, who has been in a public relationship with Louis Tomlinson since March 2025, found herself at the center of internet speculation this week after photos emerged of her looking cozy with Joey.
The pair became friends while working on Cooking With the Stars, and were seen leaving Versa Studios in Acton, London, together. And while the rumor mill went into overdrive over the nature of the snaps, a source has insisted there was “nothing romantic there between them.”
Speaking to The Sun, the insider added, “Zara and Joey grew close during filming and have become good friends. They got on really well but it’s all very innocent. She’s head over heels in love with Louis and they’re totally committed to each other.”
Zara has also shared two Instagram Stories from a trip to the South of France with L’Oreal, showing she is shrugging off the controversy and just living her best life. Louis, meanwhile, also shared his first Instagram Story since the internet went wild, this time to promote his upcoming Latin American tour:
Back in October 2025, Louis spoke on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast about how his relationship with Zara had inspired his new album, saying, “I’m a deeply, deeply romantic person.”
He added, “For me, I have to have been living it—it has to be literal, it has to be real to me. So, if I wasn’t feeling so good, like right now, I wasn’t feeling so in love, the record probably would have a slightly different feel to it.”
Sounds like these two are doing fine, tbh!
