Zara McDermott and Sam Thompson have opened up on fans wanting them to "fast-track" their romance as they discussed engagement rumours.
Love Island beauty Zara, 25, and Made In Chelsea star Sam, 30, have been together since 2019. Despite an initial break at the start of their romance, after Zara confessed to cheating on Sam, the couple have gone on to live together and become the proud owners of two cats.
And as their romance continues to blossom talks of a looming engagement have come up, after Zara discussed her dream wedding last month, fans have been waiting for the big news.
However now the pair, who recently tickled fans with their Halloween costumes, appear to have backtracked as Zara said there is "no need to rush" their romance.
When asked about rumours of an engagement, Zara explained to OK! : "We’re in such a good place. There’s no need to rush or change anything, because I wouldn’t be with Sam if I didn’t want to be with him forever. And when [an engagement] happens, it happens. If that’s in five months or five years, I really don’t mind. I genuinely trust that timing is everything."
And Sam added: "All I need to know is that Zara is going to say yes."
Zara then discussed the pressure fans put on them to 'fast-track' their relationship.
She said: "Even if me and Sam broke up and I got with someone else, there’d be engagement rumours again within three minutes. This has been going on for us for years. People want to see you fast-track your relationship but you’ve got to remember what’s right for you."
It comes after the former Love Islander Zara opened up on her idea of a dream wedding last month and admitted: "I don't think we'd be living together if I didn't see marriage happening in the future."
Speaking about her ideal big day, Zara said she wanted something "small and intimate".
Zara added: "I'm kind of over all the big extravagant weddings. When my friends tell me about their big weddings, it sounds like a lot of stress and a lot of planning. It seems like a day for everyone else.
"Whereas I think something really small, and just intimate and personal, where my really close family and friends can come – that's what I would want to do as a wedding."
Zara and Sam also recently reflected on the start of their romance and admitted Zara was left in tears when Sam didn't want to go official with her.
Looking back on their first getaway Sam told the Mirror: "I remember it very well, Zara basically forced me to ask her out, she was like 'Are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend?'"
"I mean, I thought we'd gone on a romantic spa weekend, it was a perfect time," quipped Zara, 25.
However, this hadn't crossed Sam's mind, as he explained: "I didn't have that mindset, I just thought 'This is really nice, we're just on a really nice trip'.
"We were having dinner and she went 'Are you going to ask me out or are we just going to sit here?' originally, I was taken aback and went 'No, I'm not' and I saw her get upset."
