She landed herself in hot water this week when it emerged she broke Tier 4 travel rules to jet off for a romantic New Year’s break with Sam Thompson.
And Zara McDermott, 24, faced further embarrassment when she got caught sharing an edited photo on Instagram on Wednesday.
The reality star had blurred out a backdrop which clearly showed she was in the tropical location.
Life’s a beach! Shamed Zara McDermott got caught editing her latest Instagram photo to conceal the Maldives backdrop after she broke Tier 4 rules to fly there
She’s come unstuck: Missguided, who was working with Zara on the post shared the same image but didn’t remove the tropical backdrop – oops!
The Love Island star’s attempt at pulling a fast one was revealed when fashion brand Missguided, who she was working with on the post, shared the unedited version.
In both images, Zara posed in a Missguided sports bra as she posed in a gym while on her luxury holiday, but the windows had been blurred out.
In Missguided’s version of the same image, tropical leaves are visible in the background, giving away her true destination.
She wrote in the caption: ‘My edit with @missguided is HERE!!!! I hope you guys love it as much as I do! ❤️ So today we are dropping the first few styles, and over the next few days we will be adding lots and lots of extras to keep your eyes peeled to celebrate we are doing an amazing giveaway!’
It’s little wonder that Zara wanted to hide where she was after receiving backlash for her decision to travel to the Maldives, breaking Tier 4 regulations.
Sell, sell, sell: Zara shared this caption in her paid ad post which was taken after flying to the Maldives for a romantic break – breaking Tier 4 rules
Zara and Sam, 28, were spotted flying out of London last Sunday on December 27 – a week after rules came into place banning travel from Tier 4 areas on December 20.
Before Zara’s latest post, fans had already accused the Made In Chelsea couple of disguising the fact they were abroad by altering timestamps and sharing pre-recorded content on social media.
Zara has continued to share photos on her Instagram, marking her location as London, United Kingdom.
MailOnline has contacted a spokesperson for Zara McDermott for comment.
The day before, Zara took to Instagram on Tuesday night to answer a self-indulgent question and answer session about her life, love and pre-reality TV career.
She gushed about her love for Sam and also discussed her career pre-Love Island working as a government advisor.
Ignoring: Zara brushed off flouting the rules as she discussed her previous government career and love for Sam Thompson in a Q and A on Tuesday night
One follower asked Zara what her ‘favourite thing’ was about Sam.
The Made In Chelsea star said ‘That’s a hard one’, before talking about her beau’s positive traits.
‘I really admire his love of live, his work ethic, the pride he takes in bettering himself as a person and being the best version off himself (which inspires me a lot), his ability to make every situation (no matter how bad) into something positive.
‘He can also make people smile.’ Zara added Sam is ‘extremely clever’ and loves history.
Not the time? The Love Island star, 24, gushed about her love for Sam, 28, and also discussed her career pre-Love Island working as a government advisor
Smitten: One follower asked Zara what her ‘favourite thing’ was about Sam. The Made In Chelsea star said ‘That’s a hard one’, before talking about her beau’s good traits
Government advisor: Another fan questioned the brunette beauty about her career in government before she found fame on Love Island
Another fan questioned the brunette beauty about her career in government before she found fame on Love Island.
Zara said she got the job back in 2015 and was put on a placement in the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
‘I worked in policy for a bit but I loved working in briefings and correspondence because it meant that if the Prime Minister or any Minister were to be asked a question on our specific team area, my job would be to work with the experts and draft a brief with their expertise, get it signed off by my bosses and then send up to the Minister’s office.’
Opinion: The television personality was also quizzed about her political stance but said when an election comes around she votes for who her views most align with ‘at that time’
Interest: Zara added she keeps up with politics and gets annoyed about people making ‘bold political statements based on what they read in the media’
Zara described how she would be ‘running around the office’ because sometimes the deadlines were an hour.
The television personality was also quizzed about her political stance but said when an election comes around she votes for who her views most align with ‘at that time’ and would never stick always voting for the same party.
A source told MailOnline Zara and Sam, who live together in west London, stayed at luxury resort Ayada Maldives, where they previously visited in December 2019.
Caught out: Fans accused the Made In Chelsea couple of trying to disguise the fact they’re abroad by altering timestamps and sharing prerecorded content on social media
Slip up?: Last Tuesday, Zara shared screenshots of messages she had received to her Instagram Stories, showing a different time zone before they changed to reflect the time in London
On Monday night, Zara uploaded a photo of her to promote her new edit with fashion brand Missguided, tagging the location of the Instagram post, ‘London’.
Fans of the couple became suspicious of their whereabouts last week, when eagle-eyed followers spotted something was off with Zara’s Instagram Stories.
Last Tuesday, Zara shared an old video of her watching Sam on the PlayStation, urging other girlfriends of ‘gamers’ to respond with ways of irritating their partners as they compete.
Zara then started to share screenshots of comments sent by her fans on her Instagram Stories – with one showing her local time to be 11:14pm, instead of just gone 7pm as it was in the UK.
In a swiftly-deleted Instagram story, Zara posted a response from a fan, which read: ‘Accidentally unplug the TV whilst plugging the hoover in or just hoover in front of the TV’ alongside the comment: ‘This is a good one. “Babe I’m cleaning? Why are you complaining?”‘
After viewers spotted her local time, the next interaction reflected the correct time in London.
Prior to their break-up, Zara and Sam had planned a luxurious trip to the Maldives in November alongside Sam’s sister Louise Thompson, 30, and her fiancé Ryan Libbey, 30.
The couple, who rekindled their relationship in December, missed out on the holiday, with Zara sharing a post longing to be on the idyllic getaway.
‘Meant to be in the Maldives right now but whatever’: Prior to their breakup, Zara and Sam had planned a trip to the Maldives in November alongside Louise Thompson and Ryan Libbey
At the point of Zara and Sam’s flight to the Maldives, London was under Tier 4 restrictions.
Travel abroad for leisure is banned under Tier 4 guidelines with exceptions only allowing reasons such as work, education and childcare.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel to the Maldives.
Idyllic: Sam and Zara last holidayed together in the Maldives in December 2019, staying at luxury hotel Ayada (Zara pictured in the Maldives in Dec 2019)
All travellers over the age of 11 must undertake an obligatory test for COVID-19 within 96 hours before departure. The traveller must show proof of a negative result before embarking.
In Tier 4, no household mixing is allowed, though one person can meet one other person outside in a public space, while all non-essential shops and businesses must close, including personal care and indoor entertainment.
Nobody can enter or leave Tier 4 areas and residents must not stay overnight away from home.
While enjoying their holiday, the country has been plunged into a third lockdown, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirming the message from the government is to now ‘stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.’