Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott looked like love’s young dream as they were seen together for the first time since their shock romance was revealed.
The One Direction singer, 33, and Love Island star, 28, shocked fans last month when news emerged the unlikely pair had started dating.
After keeping their relationship under wraps for weeks they have now gone public, with the pair spotted holding hands on their way to a lunch date at Soho Beach House in Malibu on Tuesday.
The loved-up snaps will no doubt come as blow to Zara’s ex Sam Thompson, whom she split from on New Years Day after a five-year romance.
Louis, who divides his time between the UK and the States – where his son Freddy resides – beamed broadly as he cosied up to Zara.
Zara, who has rebranded as a documentary maker after finding fame on reality TV, looked in good spirits as she stepped out in an ab-flashing crop top and grey jogging bottoms.
She completed her look with a black bomber jacket and thick-rimmed spectacles.
Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott looked like love’s young dream as they were seen together for the first time since their shock romance was revealed
After keeping their relationship under wraps for weeks they have now gone public, with the pair holding hands on their way to a lunch date at Soho Beach House in Malibu on Tuesday
The One Direction singer, 33, and Love Island star, 28, shocked fans last month when news emerged the unlikely pair had started dating
Louis also opted for a casual ensemble, pairing a black hoodie with tracksuit bottoms.
The pair first sparked romance rumours in March when a fellow diner at The Suffolk in Aldeburgh spotted the couple on a date.
The pair then inadvertently revealed they had travelled to the States together when Louis and Zara both took to their social media while watching Stereophonics at The Wiltern theatre in LA .
The new couple shared videos from the same area in the theatre just minutes apart, with Zara tagging the venue and band.
Earlier in the day, the documentary maker revealed she was in Los Angeles as she snapped a picture of the famous Crumbl cookies as she picked up the special Kardashian, Jenner addition box.
Their relationship already appears to be getting off to a strong start as the singer has reportedly introduced the stunner to his family after enjoying a handful of dates together.
A friend told The Sun: ‘Zara has already met all the family and they can tell that she has made Louis giddy.
‘It’s the first time in a long time that they have seen him happy. They think Zara is super wholesome and health-conscious so they are happy he is with someone who shuns the party life.’
Louis, who divides his time between the UK and the States – where his son Freddy resides – beamed broadly as he cosied up to Zara
Zara, who has rebranded as a documentary maker after finding fame on reality TV , looked in good spirits as she stepped out in an ab-flashing crop top and grey jogging bottoms
She completed her look with a black bomber jacket and thick-rimmed spectacles
Louis also opted for a casual ensemble, pairing a black hoodie with tracksuit bottoms
The new couple were sartorially in sync with their low-key ensembles on the lunch date
Louis’ last known romantic dalliance was with model Sofie Nyvang after the pair were spotted holding hands in February 2023.
He shares son Freddie, eight, with ex Briana Jungwirth.
Zara has already got the seal of approval from Louis’ twin sisters Phoebe and Daisy, plus influencer sister Lottie, who all follow the documentary-maker on Instagram, and she’s excited about what the future holds for the pair.
Meanwhile, friends of Zara told MailOnline she’s relieved the relationship is now out in the open after dating in secret weeks.
Her relationship with the famous singer was first detected by sleuth-like One Direction fans who noticed Louis had followed Zara on Instagram and liked a string of her pictures.
According to Zara’s friends, Louis has put ‘a smile back on her face’ following her split from Sam Thompson on New Year’s Day.
She called it quits with the I’m A Celebrity winner after five years of dating.
Zara isn’t the only one to have moved on, with MailOnline recently revealing that Sam has ‘grown close’ to a stunning Netflix star as he bids to move on from their relationship.
The pair first sparked romance rumours in March when a fellow diner at The Suffolk in Aldeburgh spotted the couple on a date
The pair recently revealed they had travelled to the States together when Louis and Zara both took to their social media while watching Stereophonics at The Wiltern theatre in LA
A friend previously claimed: ‘Zara has already met all the family and they can tell that she has made Louis giddy. ‘It’s the first time in a long time that they have seen him happy’
The pal added: ‘They think Zara is super wholesome and health-conscious so they are happy he is with someone who shuns the party life’
Friends of Zara told MailOnline she’s relieved the relationship is now out in the open after dating in secret weeks
Zara’s relationship with the famous singer was first detected by sleuth-like One Direction fans who noticed Louis had followed Zara on Instagram and liked a string of her pictures
MailOnline revealed the Made In Chelsea star, 32, was spotted with Lucy Syed, 28, at new Chelsea nightclub The Rex Rooms last month and according to sources, they have spent time together on more than one occasion.
Pals close to Sam insisted he is not dating bikini model Lucy, who starred on the latest series of Too Hot to Handle but claim they have enjoyed each other’s company.
Sam, who presents podcast Staying Relevant with friend Pete Wicks, 37, first connected with Lucy on Instagram and has since liked her glamorous pictures.
A source told MailOnline the attraction between Sam, who recently signed up to celebrity dating app Raya, and Lucy was ‘instant’ and friends are happy the London-born influencer was able to put a smile back on the TV star’s face.
A friend said: ‘Sam and Lucy were sharing direct messages over Instagram before they decided to meet up at a pub and then continue their night at The Rex Rooms.
‘They looked really close in the club, chatting and cuddling up together.
‘But their closeness continued after they spent the night partying together and the pair’s connection has certainly put a smile back on Sam’s face.
‘Sam is enjoying being single again and dipping his toe back into the dating pool.’
Zara has already got the seal of approval from Louis’ twin sisters Phoebe and Daisy (pictured), plus influencer sister Lottie, who all follow the documentary-maker on Instagram
According to Zara’s friends, Louis has put ‘a smile back on her face’ following her split from Sam Thompson (pictured) on New Year’s Day
After working for the Department for Education as a policy advisor, Zara found fame when she appeared on the fourth series of Love Island in 2018.
She subsequently appeared on The X Factor: Celebrity and Made in Chelsea.
In recent years she has worked on filming documentaries for BBC, including one focusing on the revenge porn ordeal she faced as a teenager.
She also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023.
Meanwhile, Louis found fame when he appeared on The X Factor in 2010 – being placed into chart-topping band One Direction.
After the group split in 2016 he focused on his solo career and served as a judge on the ITV talent show that made his name.
