Sam Thompson, the 31-year-old victor of I’m A Celebrity, and his girlfriend Zara McDermott, 27, setting the romance bar high since 2019, melted hearts across Instagram with their holiday snapshots amidst twinkling Christmas decor.

However, it wasn’t the festive vibes stealing the limelight; fans zoomed in on Zara’s mysteriously shielded hand, setting off a wave of engagement speculations surrounding the duo.

Amidst the merry season, Sam captioned their delightful picture with, “Beautiful day with a beautiful person,” prompting fans to dive into conjecture about a possible proposal.

“Was absolutely certain this was an engagement announcement for a second,” remarked one intrigued follower. Another speculated, “Ring finger is hidden so maybe they’re just not announcing it yet.” Excitement soared with comments like, “Merry Christmas – wedding time guys.”

Observing the concealed hand and absence of a ring, fans couldn’t contain their curiosity. “Her ring finger is covered by her hand,” pointed out one, while another inquired, “Where’s her ring?” The air was thick with anticipation as another fan expressed, “Hope to hear engagement news from these two soon.”

While Sam basked in I’m A Celebrity glory, Zara, engaged in Strictly Come Dancing during the same time, humorously disclosed her absence from the show’s bridge reunion with Sam. She shared the playful exchange with Hits Radio host Fleur East, revealing Sam’s insistence that only best friend Pete Wicks should be there to greet him.

“When I left Strictly I was like: ‘Shall I pack my case?’ and he went: ‘Oh no it’s already been arranged, Pete is coming!’ When I suggested maybe Pete and I could both go, he said: ‘No, just Pete!’” she quipped, adding, “You know what? It’s fine, absolutely fine.”

Clarifying further on Instagram, she mentioned, “Pete is going [to Australia]. We’ve had a few laughs and jokes about this. But in all seriousness, Sam thought I was still going to be in Strictly (bless him, the optimism), so Pete cleared his whole diary for 2/3 weeks to be there.”