Zara McDermott breaks silence after Louis Tomlinson cheating rumours with Joey Essex

Zara McDermott has shared her first social media update since unfounded cheating rumors involving Joey Essex sparked widespread speculation about her relationship with Louis Tomlinson.

The former Love Island star posted a series of Instagram Stories from a work trip to the South of France with L'Oréal Paris. In one post, Zara shared a photo of an elegant dinner spread featuring pasta, steak and roast chicken, accompanied by heart emojis. In another, she posted a picture of a luxury hotel in Cannes and wrote, “excited!!!!” while tagging L'Oréal Paris.

Photo: Instagram @zara_mcdermott

Zara’s posts came after photos emerged of her with Joey Essex, whom she befriended while filming ITV’s Cooking With the Stars. The images showed the pair leaving Versa Studios in Acton, West London, together, prompting some social media users to speculate about the nature of their relationship.

A source told The Sun that there was “nothing romantic there between them.” 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.”

Meanwhile, Louis Tomlinson also returned to Instagram, sharing a Story promoting new dates for his “How Did We Get Here?” Latin America tour in 2027, including an additional show in São Paulo, Brazil.

The couple have been publicly linked since March 2025. In an October 2025 appearance on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast, Tomlinson said his relationship with Zara had inspired his music.

“I’m a deeply, deeply romantic person,” he said. “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.”

Zara’s latest posts suggest she is ignoring the online speculation and focusing on work, while both she and Tomlinson appear to be carrying on as usual.