The Made in Chelsea star came face to face with his ex-girlfriend’s new partner at training but has now announced he has been ruled out with injury
Sam Thompson has been forced to pull out of playing in Soccer Aid just over 48 hours before the charity match kicks off at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.
The Made In Chelsea star had been due to play for the England team against the Rest of the World but confirmed during Friday’s This Morning that he had been forced to quit through injury. It comes days after he picked up a torn calf while embarking on a 260-mile fundraising run from Stamford Bridge to the home of Manchester United ahead of the match.
As a result of the injury, he will now be participating from the sidelines as a coach rather than taking to the pitch alongside the likes of Paul Scholes, Jill Scott and singer Tom Grennan.
“I’m still very sore, still got the torn calf, however I am here at Soccer Aid HQ and it does not get better than this,” he told This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
“We’ve still got the management team of England, we’ve got Vicky McClure, Tyson Fury, who’s stepping into some new shoes and Harry Redknapp.
“But also because I’m not going to be able to run around, you’ve also got me, part of the management team. Come on baby!”
Confirming that he would not be playing, Thompson added: “Yeah I came here with high hopes and went to see Gary the physio and I can kick a ball from a standing start, but when it comes to like general chaos of playing competitive sport there’s just no way.
“I can’t really run properly so yeah. They were very kind and said we still want you to be a part, so I get to go on the dark side with Tyson Fury.”
The 2023 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here winner’s withdrawal comes less than 24 hours after he came face-to-face with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend Louis Tomlinson at Soccer Aid training earlier this week.
In December, Thompson split from his girlfriend of five years, Zara McDermott, who herself rose to fame on the fourth series of Love Island in 2018
Weeks later, McDermott went public with her new romance with One Direction star Tomlinson, with the pair since jetting off on romantic getaways to Costa Rica and Los Angeles.
Thompson has insisted there are “no hard feelings” between him and Tomlinson, but the relationship drama has dominated headlines in the lead-up to the match.
While they are no longer set to share the pitch together, all eyes are set to be on the pair when the match gets underway on Sunday night.
Thompson is not the only big-name star to pull out of the charity match, with Bear Grylls also withdrawing from the England squad after picking up a “stupid” hamstring injury.
On Friday morning, the survival expert told Lorraine host Ranvir Singh: “I know it’s a hard one, this for me. I picked up a stupid injury.
“Yeah, doing some Soccer Aid training, and some sprints and pulled a hamstring. I’m back on Running Wild next week, so I’ve got to try and get that to recover.
“But I’m gutted. I think Soccer Aid is one of the most iconic things on TV through the year and it’s such a beautiful cause as well for UNICEF.”
As well as Tomlinson, the England team features ex-pros including Gary Neville and Joe Hart as well as celebrities including Dame Denise Lewis, Bella Ramsey and Sir Mo Farah.
Meanwhile, former football stars Nemanja Vidic, Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci will all be in action for the World XI as they play alongside the likes of Martin Compston, Dermot Kennedy and Bryan Habana.
