Zara McDermott spat on in vile attack while out Christmas shopping with boyfriend Sam Thompson

Zara McDermott, a star of Strictly Come Dancing, has recounted a horrifying incident that occurred while she was out shopping on Christmas Eve. As thousands of people were rushing to buy last-minute gifts and food items for the festive season, it appears not everyone was filled with holiday cheer.

Zara, who is known for her appearances on various British television shows including Love Island, Made in Chelsea, and Love in the Flesh, described the shocking event as "completely vile". The 28 year old shared her dreadful experience with her 2 million Instagram followers at around 2pm yesterday.

She was standing outside a Lidl store with Alice, her brother's girlfriend, when the incident happened. Zara detailed the attack on her Instagram stories, saying: "Guys, me and Alice are actually really shocked at what just happened. We were just getting some last minute Christmas bits just walking down the street, normal stuff and this guy out of nowhere runs up to us, spits on us, thankfully it just missed because of the wind and then walked off in the other direction. I can't believe it."

She followed up with an additional Instagram story, captioned: "I think I would have been really shaken up if alone! Luckily I was with Alice. Had so many messages from other people having experienced the same thing in London. I've heard of men approaching women on the street and hitting them in the face also (a friend of mine had this happen to her) It's completely vile."

Zara McDermott's partner, Sam Thompson, has not yet spoken out about the distressing incident involving Zara. However, he has recently stirred up engagement rumours after sharing a loving birthday tribute to Zara, referring to her as "my person" and suggesting a permanency to their relationship with the words, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever.", reports the Mirror.

His post read: "My best friend, and soul mate....some would say my person. I'm afraid you're stuck with me forever happy birthday. I love you so much, and wow have I missed you over the past month! Here's to another amazing year with you."

The post attracted a flurry of comments from fans speculating about a potential engagement. One fan left a comment with a ring emoji and question marks, while another wrote optimistically, "That's the perfect dress for you to get engaged."

Another suggested, "You should get her a ring............ just saying! ! " and yet another chimed in, "OK SAMWISE BUT WHERE'S THE RING."