If you were a huge fan of The Vampire Diaries, it’s safe to say you have a hard time seeing Nina Dobrev (a.k.a. Elena Gilbert) date anyone other than Damon or Stefan Salvatore. Don’t worry, we totally get it! But, as it happens, the longtime actress has quite the romantic life outside of the hit CW drama.
That said, Nina’s most notable relationship in Hollywood was with her Vampire Diaries costar Ian Somerhalder, who played the role of Damon. The pair dated for three years before calling it quits in 2013 and even though both parties have moved on — Ian married Nikki Reed in 2015 and Nina is dating snowboarder Shaun White — fans still can’t help but relive their ~epic~ love story.
Thankfully, Nina still has a good sense of humor about the whole thing. In August 2020, she had a playful exchange with E! News on Instagram. The media outlet posted a photo of Ian hanging out with Paul Wesley, who played Stefan on The Vampire Diaries, and wrote, “POV: You’re Elena on The Vampire Diaries. Who are you choosing?”
Nina’s reply? “The bourbon,” referring to the Salvatore brothers’ favorite drink on the show. Of course, that wasn’t the first time Nina publicly acknowledged her former flame. After she and Ian split, there was a lot of speculation he cheated on her with Nikki, who happened to be Nina’s good friend.
To this day, Nina maintains their (sort of) love triangle never came between them and she is still close with Ian and Nikki. During a 2019 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Nina set the record straight after a caller suggested her relationship with her ex and his wife is “weird.”
“I don’t think that’s weird at all,” Nina answered. “I think that’s great. I think, ‘Why can’t everyone be friends?’ I think that they have a beautiful baby, and they are happy and so am I, and what’s bad about that? I don’t see any problem with that.”
To see Nina Dobrev’s complete dating history over the years, scroll through the gallery below.