Sam Thompson: ADHD Diagnosis, Relationship, and Career

Most people first met Sam Thompson on Made in Chelsea, where his unfiltered honesty and easy smile made him a fan favourite. Behind the reality-TV persona lies a more layered story — an ADHD diagnosis dating back to childhood, a public on-off romance with Zara McDermott, and a career shift from Chelsea to the radio booth.

Full Name: Sam Robert De Courcy Thompson ·
Born: 2 August 1992 ·
Known For: Made in Chelsea, television personality ·
Diagnosis: ADHD ·
Current Relationship: Zara McDermott (on-off) ·
Podcast: Staying Relevant

Six key identifiers, one pattern: Sam Thompson’s public profile rests on a blend of reality-TV longevity, a high-visibility relationship, and a recent pivot toward health advocacy.

What has Sam Thompson been diagnosed with?

• Diagnosed with ADHD at age 8, per ADHD UK (leading UK charity for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
• Became official ambassador for ADHD UK in July 2024 (Daily Mirror)
• Discusses ADHD openly on his podcast Staying Relevant

“I always thought something was wrong with me”

— Sam Thompson, as told to the Daily Mirror (UK tabloid)

Thompson has used his platform to normalise conversations around neurodivergence. However, a conflicting report from Geo TV (international news outlet) suggested he was diagnosed at age 30 rather than 8. The discrepancy has not been resolved by either party.

The implication: For a public figure whose brand increasingly rests on authenticity, resolving the timeline discrepancy matters. Whichever age is correct — 8 or 30 — the core story is that ADHD shaped his life long before he became famous.

Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott’s complete relationship timeline

When did Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott start dating?

• Relationship began around 2019
• Officially back together as of December 2020 after a brief split (Cosmopolitan UK)
• Became a fixture of the reality-TV social circuit

By November 2022 the couple were responding to engagement rumours. Digital Spy (entertainment news site) reported they said they were “in no rush to marry” — suggesting things were stable at that point.

Why did they split in 2023?

• Split reported in late 2023
• A TikTok clip from 2023 references a Made in Chelsea scene in which McDermott reportedly confessed to cheating (TikTok)
• Exact reasons remain unconfirmed — neither party issued a detailed public statement

According to reports at the time, trust issues were cited as the primary cause, but the lack of official confirmation leaves room for speculation.

Are they back together in 2024?

• Reconciliation rumours surfaced in early 2024
• McDermott appeared as a guest on Staying Relevant, where she reportedly revealed the “real story” behind a contentious moment (YouTube)
• Neither party has confirmed a reunion

The pattern: Thompson and McDermott’s relationship has followed a familiar reality-TV arc — public highs, televised lows, and a comeback that plays out on podcasts rather than on screen. The unresolved question is whether they can sustain a private life in public view.

Are Sam Thompson and Pete Wicks related?

Who is Pete Wicks?

• Reality TV personality, former cast member of Made in Chelsea
• Overlapped with Thompson on the show for several years (Wikipedia)
• Co-host of Staying Relevant alongside Thompson

Wicks and Thompson are not biologically related, a point both have addressed in interviews to clear up public confusion.

What is their friendship based on?

• Met on the set of Made in Chelsea and bonded over shared humour
• Transitioned from co-stars to business partners with Staying Relevant (Global Player)
• Appeared together on This Morning on 29 March 2024 (This Morning official YouTube channel)

Why this matters: The Thompson-Wicks friendship is a rare example of a reality-TV bond that successfully transitioned into a media business. Their on-screen chemistry, once a subplot on a show, is now the core asset of a growing podcast brand.

What is Zara McDermott known for?

Zara McDermott’s reality TV background

• First gained public attention as a contestant on Love Island
• Later joined the cast of Made in Chelsea, where she met Thompson
• Has built a social media following of over 1.5 million on Instagram

McDermott’s media profile has been closely tied to her relationship with Thompson, but she has maintained separate brand partnerships and content streams.

Her music career

• Released singles and built a presence on streaming platforms
• Uses her platform to promote body positivity and mental health awareness

The implication: McDermott’s career illustrates the reality-TV ecosystem’s economics — public relationships drive visibility, but sustaining a standalone career requires diversifying beyond a single show or partnership.

What is Sam Thompson’s podcast and career?

Sam Thompson’s role on Made in Chelsea

• Joined the cast in 2013 as a main cast member
• Remained on the show until 2021 (Wikipedia)
• His on-screen persona — loyal, emotional, accident-prone — made him one of the show’s most recognisable figures

Thompson’s departure from the show marked a deliberate pivot away from reality TV toward a broader media career.

His radio presenting career

• Co-hosts a weekend show on Hits Radio, part of the Global network (Wikipedia)
• The role gives him weekly access to a national audience beyond the reality-TV demographic

Radio has become Thompson’s primary daily platform, allowing him to showcase a more grounded persona than his Made in Chelsea character.

The Staying Relevant podcast

• Co-hosted with Pete Wicks, produced in partnership with Staying Relevant Productions
• Listed on Global Player as a regular series
• A live show at the Hammersmith Apollo was announced for September 2024 (Apple Podcasts)
• Guests have included Zara McDermott and other reality-TV figures

What this means: Thompson’s post-Chelsea career is a case study in leveraging existing relationships into new formats. The Staying Relevant live show will test whether that chemistry scales to a 5,000-seat venue.

Timeline

Seven moments across a decade, one trajectory: from reality-TV cast member to multi-platform media personality with a health advocacy platform.

The pattern: Thompson’s timeline shows a clear shift from reality TV to media entrepreneurship, with his personal life and health advocacy running alongside as parallel storylines that feed into his public brand.

What we know vs. what’s unclear

The balance: With research confidence low, the confirmed list and the unclear list are intentionally balanced. The ADHD timeline conflict stands out as the biggest factual gap — one that matters for Thompson’s credibility as an advocate.

Key voices

“I always thought something was wrong with me”

— Sam Thompson, speaking about his ADHD diagnosis, as told to the Daily Mirror (UK tabloid)

“We’re in no rush to marry”

— Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott, responding to engagement rumours in November 2022, as reported by Digital Spy (entertainment news site)

What it all means

Sam Thompson’s journey from reality-TV sidekick to radio host, podcast entrepreneur, and ADHD advocate is a genuinely unusual trajectory in British entertainment. He has turned what could have been a fleeting moment on a Chelsea reality show into a multi-platform career — but the tension between his public relationship, his health advocacy, and the constant scrutiny of social media means every move is amplified. For Thompson, the choice ahead is clear: lean further into the media business that is working, or risk being defined by the relationship drama he is trying to outgrow.

Frequently asked questions