ZARA McDermott has become a household name after skyrocketing to fame on Love Island in 2018 – and now dating Louis Tomlinson.
But despite growing close to one of the world’s biggest popstars, Zara has not always felt confident with how she looks.
In fact, the Love Island star admitted she “used to edit herself quite a lot,” as she was finding her feet in the world of showbiz – despite wowing with her naturally beautiful looks.
In 2022, Zara admitted: “Behind my posts are hundreds of less flattering shots and a lot of time spent smoothing out the imperfections.”
And seven years on from her arrival into the showbiz world, Zara’s sensational glow-up evolution is hard to ignore.
The glamorous fitness fanatic boasts two million Instagram followers, and regularly wows with striking modelling shots and red carpet appearances.
Here’s a look inside Zara’s incredible superstar glow-up, and how she achieved it over the years.
Love Island – 2018
As her time on Love Island came to an end, interest in Zara’s ‘tweakments’ grew[/caption]
Zara was a big hit with the public, and strutted onto the scene with beautiful wavy, ombre hair and a stunning figure.
She insisted that she would impress with her brains, as well as her beauty, and she did just that.
Working as a government advisor when she went onto Love Island, Zara said: “I’m intelligent, which means I’m quite good at reading people. I’m always analysing people.”
But as her time on Love Island came to an end, an interest grew into Zara’s ‘tweakments,’ as she found herself in the spotlight more and more, with a growing fanbase.
That same year, she revealed she’d had jaw filler to correct what she’d coined as her “lopsided” jaw, which had continued to bother her.
She wrote at the time: “[They] put a little filler into the crevice and then balanced the whole thing out with the other side. It was causing me to look like I had a bad double chin from my right side!
“Also I felt it was getting worse as I got older.”
Weight loss journey – 2020
Zara has spoken openly about her weight loss journey[/caption]
In 2020, Zara began to talk openly about her weight loss journey.
She posted jaw-dropping body transformation snaps to show the results of her three-stone weight loss.
She said she’d been on a fitness journey over the past 17 months – and added that she couldn’t believe how far she’d come.
Comparing a snap of herself in a bikini in June 2019 to another in 2020, Zara proudly revealed her shrinking frame.
Zara said: “The first pic of me was a girl who never exercised and ate whatever she wanted.
“She wasn’t unhappy or insecure about her weight, but she knew that she needed to start exercising, eating more fruits and veggies and making wiser choices in order to be healthier.”
At 5ft 6ins, Zara went from weighing 10st 7lbs at a size ten in July 2019 to nearing 7st 7lbs after dropping to a size six.
But despite her achievements, Zara faced cruel “skinny-shaming” online.
She said: “I had a lot of people being like ‘you didn’t need to lose weight, you were fine before’, but that is frustrating.
“The ‘before’ me is me not at my best – no exercise and eating anything I wanted.
“Now when I run, I’m not out of breath. Alongside the physical change in the mirror, it’s knowing you are fit and healthy on the inside.”
New boobs – 2021
Zara admitted to having a secret boob job[/caption]
In 2021, Zara revealed she had a secret boob job to make them fuller and more symmetrical.
The Love Island beauty admitted she was nervous to tell people at the time.
The model revealed that a little bit of nip and tuck quickly resolved the issues she had with her chest.
She said: “I wanted to add some fullness to the upper part mainly, so yes in a way, but more so I just wanted them to be balanced and symmetrical!”
Botox & fillers – 2022
Zara revealed she gets fillers every two years ‘for symmetry’ and Botox in her forehead[/caption]
In 2022, the Love Island star revealed she gets fillers every two years “for symmetry” and Botox in her forehead to smooth out any lines.
During a Q&A with fans on her Instagram stories, one person asked: “Have you done anything to your face? Your so lucky you have literally zero lines!!!”
Zara replied: “Yeah I get forehead botox and have done for years. And I get a crevice in my jaw & chin filled once every two years for symmetry that I’ve spoken about a few times!
“As my face is the most unsymmetrical thing you’ve ever seen (seriously).
“On my right side my jaw has a little inset/dent so I basically get it evened out.”
Bum transformation – 2023
Zara enlisted the help of a personal trainer for her bum transformation[/caption]
Zara is big into her fitness, and takes fans along on social media when she works out.
In 2023, ahead of her time on Strictly, she compared the muscle definition of her glutes over the period of a few months and admitted she was chuffed.
Zara enlisted the help of Chris Barker, a trainer who helps female clients who want to enhance their wellness regime without crash diets.
He told Glamour that a typical week for Zara is three resistance sessions (usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday), with two additional cardio sessions if she can squeeze them in.
He explained: “I like to program full body days, so we are working out as much of the body as possible, however I will make sure that we are able to focus at the same time on certain areas like her bum, for example, which she has wanted to focus on.”
Skincare and ‘bronde’ hair – 2024
After Love Island, she removed her extensions and embarked on a mission to keep it as glossy as possible[/caption]
The star rocks ‘bronde’ locks after ditching brunette[/caption]
Since her villa days, Zara has switched up the colour of her locks for a beautiful ‘bronde’ shade.
Her hair is all natural, and she regularly discusses products she uses to keep it healthy.
After Love Island, she removed her extensions and embarked on a mission to keep it as glossy as possible.
Then recently she said: “@joepickeringtaylor kept it as healthy as possible using heat protection every time we used heat.
“And also I think did three trims in the space of four weeks just to keep the ends healthy and ensure any dame wouldn’t move up the hair shaft.”
The star also takes her skincare very seriously and uses 24 daily products, with her Instagram focusing more on products she uses.
In her caption, the Strictly Come Dancing star dubbed it her “clean girl skin / makeup look”.
Zara was seen applying various lotions and skincare products to her face, and items included make-up from L’Oreal as well as a Tweezerman eyelash curler.
The Louis Tomlinson era – 2025
Zara’s dates with Louis Tomlinson have been confirmed, bringing an end to weeks of speculation.
Louis and Zara were seen giggling and holding hands while they dined on £100 fish and chips, plus cocktails, on a recent date night – with onlookers commenting on just how happy they looked in each other’s company.
And the world famous singer must find Zara just his type on paper, as he’s been spotted liking her sexy social media snaps.
Zara hasn’t just given her appearance a glow-up but her love life too.
Her growing closeness with the superstar proves that she’s a far cry from putting all her eggs in the basket of a Love Island villa boy.
The star also admitted to getting jaw filler[/caption]
Zara is now no stranger to a glam selfie[/caption]
Louis has been liking Zara’s sexy snaps[/caption]
