Zara McDermott, 28, has spoken out after she was attacked by a man in the street while doing her Christmas shopping

Reality TV star Zara McDermott faced a harrowing ordeal while braving the festive rush for last-minute Christmas shopping, as she was subjected to a despicable assault in broad daylight. On Christmas Eve, an occurrence all too common during the holiday season’s frantic last-minute errands turned ugly when Zara encountered a far from festive moment.

The 28-year-old, famed for her appearances on Love Island, Made in Chelsea, and her contributions to Strictly Come Dancing and Love in the Flesh, slammed the incident as “completely vile”. At approximately 2pm, Zara took to her Instagram to recount the disturbing events to her 2 million followers.

In the midst of the seasonal hustle and bustle outside a Lidl supermarket, accompanied by her brother’s partner Alice, Zara shared the distressing details with her fans. Visibly shaken, she explained on her Instagram stories: “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 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 later shared another story, stating: “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 and Alice were shocked by the attack (Image: Zara McDermott/Instagram)

Zara’s boyfriend Sam Thompson has yet to publicly comment on the shocking attack on Zara. However, he recently fuelled rumours about a possible engagement to Zara McDermott after posting a heartfelt birthday message, referring to her as “my person” and declaring, “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me forever.”

Sam’s caption 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.”

Fans were quick to speculate whether the couple had taken their relationship to the next level. One user posted a ring emoji alongside question marks, while another wrote: “That’s the perfect dress for you to get engaged.” A third suggested: “You should get her a ring………… just saying! ! ” Another added: “OK SAMWISE BUT WHERE’S THE RING.”