Sam Thompson is a British television personality and radio presenter who won I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2023, hosts shows on Hits Radio, and co-hosts the Staying Relevant podcast with his best friend Pete Wicks. He first became known on E4’s Made in Chelsea, which he joined in 2013, and he has since built a presenting career across ITV, Channel 4 and radio — while speaking openly about his ADHD and autism diagnoses. As of October 2026, his most recent television work includes ITV’s prank show Celebrity Sabotage, which launched in March 2026, and a place in the 2026 line-up of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.
At a Glance: Sam Thompson
- Full name: Samuel Robert De Courcy Thompson
- Born: 1992, London — 34 years old as of October 2026
- Best known for: Made in Chelsea (2013–2021) and winning I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2023
- Radio: Hits Radio — a Saturday morning show from 9am and The Hits UK Chart on Sundays from 4pm, as of August 2026
- Podcast: Staying Relevant with Pete Wicks, launched in 2022; their first book together became a Sunday Times bestseller
- Neurodiversity: Diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2023; ambassador for ADHD UK since 2024
- Charity: His Soccer Aid 2025 “Match Ball Mission” raised £2,075,564 for UNICEF
- Family: Younger brother of Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson
- Recent TV: Celebrity Sabotage (ITV, 2026), The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2026 line-up; co-hosted I’m a Celebrity… Unpacked in 2024
Who Is Sam Thompson?
Sam Thompson is a London-born television personality, radio presenter and podcaster. He grew up in west London and was educated at Bradfield College in Berkshire, according to his publisher Penguin Books. He is the younger brother of Louise Thompson, who was already an established cast member of Made in Chelsea when Sam joined the show.
Thompson’s full name is Samuel Robert De Courcy Thompson, as listed by Hits Radio’s own profile of its presenter. He was 21 when he first appeared on Made in Chelsea in 2013, according to Channel 4, which puts his birth year at 1992. He was 31 when he won I’m a Celebrity in December 2023, according to the PA news agency, and 33 in August 2025, according to BANG Showbiz — both consistent with a 1992 birth year. That makes him 34 as of October 2026. His exact date of birth is widely listed on biography websites, but it has not been confirmed by a reputable source, so this article does not print it.
How Did Sam Thompson Become Famous?
Sam Thompson joined the cast of Made in Chelsea in the show’s sixth series in 2013, moving into his older sister Louise’s flat. He started out as an intern for his best friend Jamie Laing’s sweets business, Candy Kittens — a role that mostly involved running errands and doing Laing’s dry-cleaning, as Hits Radio’s profile of Thompson recalls. He remained with the E4 reality series, on and off, until his final appearance in 2021, according to his publisher’s author biography.
Made in Chelsea made Thompson a familiar face, but it was the string of reality shows that followed that kept him on screen. He appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, took part in Celebs Go Dating several times, and appeared on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. In 2022 he began hosting a Sunday show on Hits Radio, and in 2023 he became a regular panellist on ITV2’s Love Island: Aftersun and co-host of the Love Island: The Morning After podcast.
Did Sam Thompson Win I’m a Celebrity?
Yes. Sam Thompson won the 23rd series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and was crowned King of the Jungle in the live final on Sunday 10 December 2023. He beat former professional boxer Tony Bellew, who finished second, and former politician Nigel Farage, who finished third. According to Hits Radio, Thompson won with over 53% of the public vote in the final.
Thompson had long said the show was a dream booking — after his win he told hosts Ant and Dec that he had “dreamt of doing this show for years and years”. He also took part in the show’s famous Celebrity Cyclone trial the night before the final. His friendship with Bellew, whom he called “Teddy T” in camp, became one of the most talked-about parts of the series; Bellew described Thompson as being “like a fifth son” to him, according to PA reporting of the final.
The win changed Thompson’s career. ITV invited him back the following year to co-host the spin-off show I’m a Celebrity… Unpacked alongside Joel Dommett and Kemi Rodgers for the 2024 series. In late 2025, ITV confirmed that Thompson would not return to Unpacked for the 2025 series, with Dommett and Rodgers continuing as hosts. Thompson has since spoken about feeling burnt out after his time in Australia, and about his jungle win being “a blessing and a curse”, according to reporting of his appearance on the I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast.
What Does Sam Thompson Do on Hits Radio?
Sam Thompson is a presenter on Hits Radio, part of the Bauer Media network. As of August 2026, according to Hits Radio’s own profile, he hosts a Saturday morning show from 9am and The Hits UK Chart every Sunday from 4pm.
His radio career began with a Sunday show in 2022, and he later moved to weeknight evenings. After his jungle win, his profile at the station grew: he was described by RadioToday as Hits Radio’s weekday evening host when he was crowned King of the Jungle in December 2023. He has also covered breakfast shows for the station, and in August 2025 he told The Standard that he enjoyed the routine of early starts and could see himself presenting breakfast radio in future.
What Is the Staying Relevant Podcast and Book?
Staying Relevant is the podcast Thompson co-hosts with his best friend Pete Wicks, the former The Only Way Is Essex star. The show launched in 2022 and has grown into one of the UK’s most popular celebrity podcasts — it won Best Podcast at the Television and Radio Industries Club (TRIC) Awards in 2025, according to PA reporting.
The podcast is built around the unlikely friendship between Thompson, the relentlessly upbeat former Made in Chelsea star, and Wicks, the deadpan TOWIE veteran. The pair took the show on a UK tour in April 2024, playing dates in London, Birmingham, Plymouth and Dublin. Their first book together, Staying Relevant: The Book, became a Sunday Times bestseller, according to Penguin Books. Thompson has also written a children’s book, You, Me & ADHD, about his own experience of the condition.
In October 2026, it was reported that Thompson and Wicks will front a new ITV2 documentary series, Sam & Pete: Dying To Look Good, due to air in 2027.
What Has Sam Thompson Said About ADHD and Autism?
Thompson was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30, and the process was filmed for the E4 documentary Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?, which aired in May 2023. The hour-long film, made by South Shore for E4, followed Thompson as he was assessed for the condition and spoke to medical professionals and other people living with ADHD. Channel 4’s announcement of the programme quoted Thompson saying it was “the most vulnerable I’ve felt in front of the camera” and that he hoped it would encourage people “to learn more about themselves, and be proud of everything that makes them unique”.
He was also diagnosed with autism in 2023, according to BANG Showbiz. Thompson has said he wants to make a follow-up documentary about autism, telling The Standard in August 2025 that he hoped to do so in 2026 because, although he has the condition, he does not know much about it — and because talking about ADHD had changed how young people felt about their own diagnoses.
His advocacy work is now a formal role. Thompson became an ambassador for ADHD UK in 2024, according to Penguin Books, and he spoke at the 2025 ADHD International Conference. He has described his ADHD as something that explains the high energy and distractibility people have seen on screen since his Made in Chelsea days, and he has spoken about struggling to focus at school, telling the Mirror that he remembered “crying into a textbook once at school because the words wouldn’t go in”.
What Did Sam Thompson Do for Soccer Aid in 2025?
In June 2025, Thompson took on one of the most demanding charity challenges of his career for Soccer Aid for UNICEF: the “Match Ball Mission”, a 260-mile journey carrying the match ball from Stamford Bridge in London to Old Trafford in Manchester over five days. He completed the journey on foot and by bike, despite a calf injury that forced him to cover larger parts of the route by bike than planned, and crossed the finish line on 6 June 2025 to be greeted by his sister Louise, her fiancé Ryan Libbey and their son Leo.
The challenge raised £2,075,564 for UNICEF, according to Hits Radio — a total revealed live on ITV on 15 June 2025, the night of the match. Because of his injury, Thompson could not play the full match for England; instead he joined the management team and came on for the final few minutes. World XI won the match 5–4. Including Thompson’s contribution, Soccer Aid 2025 raised £15,280,163 in total, according to Hits Radio.
Thompson is also a holder of two Guinness World Records, both set in 2024. In January 2024 he gave 88 hugs in a single minute in Shoreham-by-Sea, and later that year, live on This Morning, he smashed 31 conkers in 60 seconds. ITV announced him as “officially a double world record holder” after the second record.
What Is Sam Thompson Doing in 2026?
Thompson’s 2026 television work has kept him on ITV and Channel 4. In March 2026, he joined Joel Dommett, Judi Love and GK Barry as one of the celebrity saboteurs on Celebrity Sabotage, ITV1’s Saturday-night prank show, in which the four secretly sabotage unsuspecting members of the public taking part in fake television shows, building a prize pot of up to £30,000 for the contestants.
He was also named in the 24-strong line-up for the 2026 series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, announced by Channel 4 in February 2026, alongside names including Molly-Mae Hague, JoJo Siwa, Scott Mills and Vicky Pattison. The series aired on Channel 4 in spring 2026.
Away from television, Thompson is an ambassador for The King’s Trust, the charity founded by King Charles III, and he met the King at Buckingham Palace in June 2025 as part of that role, according to Penguin Books. He continues to present on Hits Radio and to record Staying Relevant with Pete Wicks.
Who Is in Sam Thompson’s Family?
Thompson’s best-known family connection is his older sister, Louise Thompson, who was a Made in Chelsea cast member from the show’s early series and now runs a wellness community with her fiancé, Ryan Libbey. The siblings grew up together in west London, and Louise’s son Leo was at the finish line of Thompson’s Soccer Aid challenge in June 2025.
Thompson lives in London and owns two cats, Albus and Cedric, according to his publisher.
Who Has Sam Thompson Dated?
Thompson was in a relationship with former Love Island star Zara McDermott for five years, from 2019 until their split in December 2024. The pair met after McDermott messaged Thompson, went public with the relationship in June 2019, and lived together in London. They briefly split in late 2019 and reconciled in December 2020. Their break-up was reported in December 2024, with both going on to focus on their own careers.
As of October 2026, Thompson has not publicly confirmed a new relationship. In July 2026 he was photographed in public with influencer Talitha Balinska, according to OK! magazine, but neither of them has publicly confirmed the nature of their relationship. For more on his former partner’s career, see our profile of Zara McDermott.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Sam Thompson?
Sam Thompson was born in 1992, which makes him 34 years old as of October 2026. He was 21 when he joined Made in Chelsea in 2013, according to Channel 4, and 31 when he won I’m a Celebrity in December 2023, according to the PA news agency. His exact date of birth is widely listed on biography websites but has not been confirmed by a reputable source, so this article does not print it.
Did Sam Thompson win I’m a Celebrity?
Yes. Sam Thompson won the 23rd series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! on 10 December 2023 and was crowned King of the Jungle. He beat Tony Bellew, who finished second, and Nigel Farage, who finished third, winning with over 53% of the final public vote, according to Hits Radio.
What is Sam Thompson’s ADHD documentary called?
The documentary is called Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD? It aired on E4 in May 2023 and followed Thompson as he was assessed for ADHD at the age of 30. He was also diagnosed with autism in 2023, and he became an ambassador for ADHD UK in 2024.
Is Sam Thompson still on Hits Radio?
Yes. As of August 2026, Sam Thompson hosts a Saturday morning show from 9am on Hits Radio, as well as The Hits UK Chart every Sunday from 4pm, according to Hits Radio’s own presenter profile.
Who is Sam Thompson’s sister?
Sam Thompson’s older sister is Louise Thompson, who was also a cast member of Made in Chelsea. She now runs a wellness community with her fiancé, Ryan Libbey, and the pair have a son, Leo.
Are Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott still together?
No. Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott ended their five-year relationship in December 2024. McDermott has since been in a relationship with former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. As of October 2026, Thompson has not publicly confirmed a new relationship.
What is Sam Thompson doing in 2026?
In 2026, Sam Thompson appeared as a celebrity saboteur on ITV’s Celebrity Sabotage, which launched in March 2026, and was named in the line-up for the 2026 series of The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer. He continues to present on Hits Radio and co-host the Staying Relevant podcast with Pete Wicks, and the pair are due to front the ITV2 documentary series Sam & Pete: Dying To Look Good in 2027.
