Sad news incoming for The Vampire Diaries fans, as Nina Dobrev and her partner, Shaun White, have separated.
The Canadian actress, 36, began dating the Olympic snowboarder, 39, five years ago, and he popped the question with a dazzling diamond ring last October.
Alas, they were never destined to make it to the altar, as it’s been confirmed that, while on amicable terms, they are no longer an item.
A source close to the former lovebirds broke the news to People, saying that it was a ‘mutual decision’, despite not being an ‘easy one’.
‘But it was made with love and a deep respect for one another,’ they added.
Nina, who famously played Elena Gilbert in the supernatural teen drama, and Shaun, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, were last photographed together on August 31, holding hands while running errands in Los Angeles.
However, one week later, on September 7, the Degrassi: The Next Generation star appeared at the Toronto International Film Festival with a bare hand, no engagement ring in sight, which raised eyebrows.
When did Nina Dobrev and Shaun White meet?
The once-smitten pair met at the end of 2019 in Florida, as they both gave presentations at an event organised by motivational speaker Tony Robbins.
After the bash, Nina and Shaun went for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, where sparks began to fly.
Shaun, who admitted he ‘didn’t know anything about’ Nina, recalled their first unofficial date in an interview in 2022, joking to People how amusing it was that staff wanted selfies with Nina and not him.
‘And I was like, “What’s happening? What’s going on?” It was actually really funny,’ he recounted.
Before long, the two were inseparable but also attempting to juggle a blossoming romance with their busy, high-profile careers.
‘We were flying all over,’ he said. ‘She’s an actress, so she’s shooting movies, doing press and all these things, and I’m getting ready for competition, doing interviews and appearances.’
Once the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Nina and Shaun decided to move in together, spending much of quarantine refurbishing their home.
‘We went to the hardware store, bought a bunch of paint and brushes, and definitely got in over our heads, but it was really fun,’ the athlete shared previously.
In fact, it was when his new girlfriend’s border collie-Australian shepherd mix, Maverick, got the approval of his French bulldog, Steve, that he knew things were solid.
‘Steve has a bit of an attitude, but they get along amazingly. So it was really meant to be.’
Shaun went on to describe Nina as an ‘amazing’ support, particularly as the world was isolated from one another.
‘Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver—she really made that time in my life special.’
When did they get engaged?
In April 2023, at a Coachella event, Shaun insisted that he felt ‘no pressure’ to propose anytime soon, saying they were just ‘enjoying [their] time together’.
However, it didn’t take long for him to decide he was done waiting.
Last autumn, they debuted their engaged status by sharing snaps on Instagram of the moment Shaun got down on one knee.
Nina added the cheeky caption: ‘RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé 💍♾️’
Spilling the beans on the romance of it all later on, the spouses-to-be told Vogue that Nina thought she was going for dinner with Anna Wintour, only for Shaun to surprise her at the Golden Swan restaurant with a stunning ring.
While Nina didn’t remember much about the blurry proposal itself, she did state: ‘He said all the right things.’
What have they said about the split?
As of now, neither Nina nor Shaun has commented on their split publicly.
Less than a week ago, Shaun appeared in a dump of summer pics she shared on social media.
Alas, things look to be pretty official, as Nina has already unpinned her engagement post, which sat proudly atop her Insta feed for almost a year.
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