Sam Thompson has revealed he’s taken a huge step in his relationship with his new girlfriend Talitha Balinska, as he’s said he loves her for the first time.
The pair started dating in September after his split from Zara McDermott in 2024, and the Made In Chelsea star, 33, has now shared the ‘awkward’ tale behind his decision to say the ‘L’ word.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Staying Relevant podcast, Sam confessed that he told Talitha he’s ‘in love’ with her while they were sat on the sofa together, telling his best pal Pete Wicks he’d ‘known for a bit’ but struggled to say the words.
The presenter saw a difficult start to 2025 due to his split from Zara, but thanks to his new romance, a sold-out show at London’s O2 Arena, and a monumental charity achievement, he’s now ended the year on a high.
The TV personality confirmed his relationship with the influencer, 25, in early December, with the happy couple recently enjoying a date night with Pete, Sam’s sister Louise, and her fiancé Ryan Libbey.
While discussing their plans for Valentine’s Day, Pete asked Sam whether he’d said ‘I love you’ to Talitha, and he confirmed he had.
Sam Thompsonhas revealed he’s taken a huge step in his relationship with his new girlfriend Talitha Balinska, as he’s said he loves her for the first time
The pair started dating in September, and the Made In Chelsea star has now shared the ‘awkward’ tale behind his decision to stay the ‘L’ word
He said: ‘Yeah, oh wait that’s news! That’s news! Yeah I have yeah. It was actually classic, I was so awkward, it was on the sofa.
‘We were on the sofa and I’ve basically known for a bit but I just thought ”I don’t want to say it because it’s too early.” and all that c**p.
‘I kept on saying, instead of I love you ”I like you.” and then ”I like you a lot,” and so it’s going in steps. I would leave the house and be like ”I like you a lot!”
Sharing that Talitha had previously said: ‘I like you a lot too,’ he continued: ‘And then I was sat on the sofa and I said ”you know when I say I like you, it means something else.”
‘And then she was like ”what does it mean?” and then I panicked, and I went ”it means I hate you.”’
Following the awkward moment, Sam said he tried, and failed, to make Talitha laugh, and she confessed: ‘I thought you were going to say something really nice.’
Pete jokingly said: ‘It’s good to know you made this awkward,’ and Sam added: ‘So awkward! And then I was like ”I think I love you.”’
Grilling his pal on the admission, Pete asked: ‘I need it word for word! Was it I’m falling in love with you, I have fallen in love with you, I love you.’
Speaking on his Staying Relevant podcast, Sam confessed that he told Talitha he’s ‘in love’ with her while they were sat on the sofa, telling his best pal Pete Wicks he’d ‘known for a bit’
‘I think [I’m in love with you],’ Sam said. ‘She then panicked, because I didn’t fully give it she didn’t want to say it to me, she was like ”well what do you mean?”
‘And I sort of cracked like I’m doing now, just sort of glitch out, and then we sort of sat in silence for a little bit.
‘And then she went ”say something”, and I was like ”I love you” and she was like ”I love you too”. And then we sat on the sofa and pressed play on the movie and sat in silence. We sat in silence watching the TV and then just burst out laughing.
‘That’s why I love her we are both quite awkward people, and so it was quite a nice moment.’
Sam said since saying the famous L word he ‘can’t stop’ telling Talitha, and he’s already planning to take her on a ski trip for Valentine’s Day next month.
The pair’s romance has heated up over the past few weeks as they spent their first Christmas together.
The presenter saw a difficult start to 2025 due to his split from Zara McDermott at the end of 2024 (pictured together)
The TV personality confirmed his relationship with Talitha, in December, with the happy couple recently enjoying a date night with Pete, Sam’s sister Louise, and her fiancé Ryan Libbey
Festive snaps showed them celebrating the big day with Sam’s mum, his sister Louise and her fiancé Ryan, as well as Louise and Ryan’s son Leo.
A source close to Sam told The Daily Mail that the past year has been incredibly tough for him, but he’s now smitten with his girlfriend Talitha.
They said: ‘Sam was certainly struggling at the beginning of 2025, and no one really knows the true extent of how his breakup from Zara affected him.
‘Despite suffering knockbacks many people would not have recovered from, Sam has managed to come out the other side in a much better place.
‘Now thriving, Sam is focused on building momentum in 2026 and is genuinely looking forward to the future.’
