Why everyone thinks Louis Tomlinson and Zara McDermott are getting married
6 January 2026, 16:24
The One Direction singer and former Love Island star are said to be closer than ever, with an insider hinting at a possible proposal very soon.
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Zara McDermott’s romance with One Direction star Louis Tomlinson could be heading for the next big step, with an insider suggesting the couple are already considering getting married.
The former Love Island contestant and the singer, who began dating just 10 months ago before going Instagram official last summer, are reportedly more in love than ever.
With picture evidence of how cute they are, on Zara's 29th birthday in December, she shared a cosy snap of herself with boyfriend Louis, captioning it: “The best birthday ever with you & the final year of my 20s.”
And despite not even celebrating their one year relationship anniversary yet, it's been reported the 1D star is already thinking about getting down on one knee. Especially after the loss of bandmate Liam Payne has encouraged him to not waste any time.
"You’ve never seen a couple so in love with each other,” a source tells The Mirror. "They’re so blissfully in love and I think we could be hearing wedding bells soon."
In October 2025, Louis spoke about how Zara had inspired his new album, telling Steven Bartlett’s Diary Of A CEO podcast: “I’m a deeply, deeply romantic person. For me, I have to have been living it – it has to be literal, it has to be real to me.
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"So, if I wasn’t feeling so good, like right now, I wasn’t feeling so in love, the record probably would have a slightly different feel to it.”
And it seems as though Zara has slotted perfectly into the Tomlinson family as earlier in December, his twin sisters, Daisy and Phoebe also revealed on their Tea With The Twins podcast they would be spending Christmas together.
They said: "And we’ve got another new [family] member as our brother’s got a new girlfriend, so that will be nice. I think there will be 16 of us in total."
According to the source, Zara came into Louis’s life at precisely the right time, providing support during a period of personal grief.
The One Direction singer was left “beyond devastated” after the death of former bandmate Liam Payne in October 2024 at the age of 31, following a fall from a hotel balcony.
Louis paid tribute to his late friend in a heartfelt post: “I feel beyond lucky to have had you in my life but I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye. I wish I got [the] chance to say goodbye and tell you one more time how much I loved you.”
This loss came on top of previous tragedies in Louis’s life; the deaths of his mother, Johannah Deakin, from leukaemia in 2016, and his sister, Félicité, from an accidental overdose in 2019.
The insider added Zara has been a breath of fresh air for Louis after such testing times. They said: "Louis has been through so much, especially losing his sister and losing Liam, and she’s a great comfort. She’s seen what he’s been through, with all the grieving, and she really respects him.
"He’s totally smitten with her. This is true love and not a showbiz romance. [Zara] is The One and I think he’s realised life is very short and you’ve got to do something about it if you’re happy.”
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