Sam Thompson received the support of his best friend Pete Wicks after breaking down in tears while at the TRIC Awards - just weeks after being snapped in a row with girlfriend Zara McDermott.
The former Made In Chelsea star, 31, was snapped looking emotional on Tuesday night while attending the lavish award ceremony. He was spotted having a heartfelt exchange with TOWIE star Pete in the smoking area at London's Grosvenor House Hotel. Sam is said to have started to cry as Pete took him in for an embrace.
It appeared Pete offered his I'm A Celebrity pal a pep talk as they spent 30 minutes in the smoking area together. Pete and Sam were up for an award together thanks to their Staying Relevant podcast, however they lost out to That Peter Crouch Podcast. The best pals shared snaps from inside the event as Sam posted a pic with Pete while at their table.
They shared a sweet hug as Sam commented: "My brother," followed by three heart emojis. Pete also shared a photo of them together to his account as he added: "Always love. My brother @samthompsonuk." Earlier this month, Sam appeared to be locked in a heated row on the street with girlfriend Zara McDermott, after he represented England at Soccer Aid.
Zara could then be seen looking animated as she wagged her finger at her man following the boozy afterparty. The couple appeared unhappy as they waiting for their taxi to arrive after saying their goodbyes. However, before any rumours of a split or trouble in paradise begin to surface, Zara decided to set the record straight regarding the 'argument'.
She shared one of 'row' pictures and issues a statement to her fans. "Why did this make me laugh so much btw," the reality TV star wrote on her Instagram Stories. "'Stop saying you should have scored!!!! You did your best and that's all that matters!!!! You need to stop doubting yourself!!! It looks like we are having an argument but I'm actually telling him positive affirmations in a very passionate manner! [laughing-face emojis]."
Sam also decided to address the snaps in a chat with Pete on their Staying Relevant podcast. He said: "I think it's time to quash the elephant in the room. It's huge. We need to quash these rumours now before they get started. There was an article on the Soccer Aid afterparty where there were photos taken of myself and my lovely girlfriend Zara having what genuinely looked - and I almost feel like we did when I know we didn't.
"We've been papped looking like we're about to tear each other's throats out," he went on. "It looks I've cheated on her, it's that bad. She's pointing at me with her finger." Zara, who also appeared on the show, added: "It looks like you're really cocky with your arms folded smirking."
She explained: "We'd had a bottle of water each, it was 25 minutes into the after party and we both looked at each other and went, 'Shall we go?' I'd driven so the car was parked across the road and Sam through the whole night, kept whispering in my ear, 'Could have scored. Could have scored though.'"
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