There are always those couples you would never expect to be together, but they say opposites attract.
Shaun White and Nina Dobrev are one of those couples – Shaun is an Olympic snowboarder, and Nina is one of our favorite actresses from the Vampire Diaries.
Nina Dobrev, in a white Smythe waistcoat paired with wide-legged cuffed pants, and her boyfriend Shaun White attend qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 28, 2022, in Monte-Carlo, Monaco (Credit: Marco Piovanotto / ABACA / INSTARimages)
The couple initially met in 2012 when Shaun was presenting the Teen Choice Award for the Sci-Fi/Fantasy Choice TV Show category to the Vampire Diaries cast, but that proved to be a non-event when it came to those magical sparks.
“I actually get asked this question quite a bit,” he said on TikTok when asked if he’s watched The Vampire Diaries. “Yeah, I have watched the show. I liked it. It was good.”
“You know, it was just funny because Nina was shooting a movie in Canada, and I wasn’t allowed to get into Canada — it was during quarantine. I wasn’t gonna see her for like three months. I thought, ‘Oh this will be cool. I’ll start the show.’ Like, I’ll kind of see her without seeing her. And, it was cool, but it got a little dark,” he added about binge-watching his girlfriend Nina Dobrev’s The Vampire Diaries.
“She’s like…the love interest of all the guys on the show,” he added with a smile. “And then I found myself really rooting for them. I was like ‘Am I in the way?'”
2020, The start of something special
But when something is meant to be, fate steps in, and the two were ‘reunited’ in 2019 at a Tony Robbins event where they were both giving presentations.
There is nothing like getting to know someone new over a meal, especially when you don’t know much about the other person. This was definitely the case when fans constantly came over to their table to ask for Nina’s autograph – we rather suspect Shaun is used to it being the other way around when out on a ‘date’.
Shaun reportedly admitted, “I actually didn’t know anything about her. was like, ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’ It was actually really funny.”
Nina Dobrev, in a Givenchy cutout one-shoulder maxi dress and ankle-strap sandals, and her boyfriend Shaun White attend the Royal Film Performance and UK Premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” at Leicester Square on May 19, 2022, in London, England (Credit: Ian West / PA Images / INSTARimages)
Nothing is secret when it comes to social media and fans who quickly spotted that Nina and Shaun were posting photos from the same place in South Africa. Nina was on location filing Redeeming Love and had invited Shaun to join her.
A month later, the happy couple was seen riding bikes in Malibu, and Page Six reported that they had shared a kiss.
3 months later, come April 2020, Us Weekly reported that the couple were more than friends and were now officially dating, with one of their sources revealing, “They’re enjoying their time together and getting to know each other better. Nina really likes Shaun, and they both laugh a lot together.”
Lockdown and love
Thanks to the lockdown, the two moved in together that May and haven’t looked back.
The couple initially kept a relatively low profile until the end of May when Nina posted a photo to her Instagram account, captioned, “Adding to resume: hairdresser.” The post showed her giving Shaun a haircut, although he didn’t look quite as confident in her abilities as she did.
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Over the next few months, the couple escaped to Tulum, Mexico, shared Thanksgiving together and brought in 2021 with that iconic lift from Dirty Dancing. This is one couple who knows how to have fun.
Anniversary and Birthday Celebrations
How do you impress your famous actress girlfriend when it comes to that one-year anniversary? By keeping it simple and putting in a lot of thought.
Shaun shared with Us Weekly, “I wanted to recreate our first date, but everything was closed. I managed to sweet talk the owner of the place to open up for us,” and this was the first restaurant where they shared a meal. Shaun went on to say, “It was actually pretty fun to have a place all to ourselves.”
Nina Dobrev walks her adopted dog Maverick in blue camouflage activewear set by Losano and Nike Air Force 1 ’07 Premium sneakers in New York City on October 12, 2022 (Credit: Michael Simon / Startraksphoto / Cover Images)
For Shaun’s 35th birthday, Nina who has a wonderful sense of humor, posted a photo of the two of them on Instagram, captioning it, “The person in this photo is the funniest, most charming, sexiest, and hardest working person I know. The other person is my boyfriend.” She ended it with, “Happy birthday baby, thank you for always being older than me.”
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Making long-distance work
Although the couple is involved in a long-distance relationship, that hasn’t impacted their strong feelings for each other.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Shaun shared their secret – “We have a nice little system of how to stay in touch. Plane tickets are pretty much booked for any opportunity that we can go see one another. So, I know during the holiday break, we’re going to meet up, and we’re going to meet up again probably around Christmas time. Anything that happens in between, then I’ll jet over and see her. You just make it work.”
Nina Dobrev shows how to wear a white tank dress and coat with black patent leather thigh-high boots at the Michael Kors SS23 Show at Highline Stages on September 14, 2022, in New York City (Credit: Startraksphoto / John Nacion / Cover Images)
He went on to say, “I think that’s the goal of it all and the key to it all is just making the time. [Nina’s] super organized and on top of it, so I give it to her. She always finds a way to make it happen.”
By January of this year, speculation was rife that an engagement announcement was imminent.
During an interview about her new film, Redeeming Love, Nina shared, “Love is amazing and difficult. Just because you find love doesn’t make it butterflies and angels. There’s gonna be tough times and good times, and it’s really about who you want to spend those hard moments with. And finding that person you can go through hell and back with.”
Shaun White admits he binge-watched Nina Dobrev’s show The Vampire Diaries (Credit: Alberto Terenghi / IPA / INSTARimages)
And if you’re wondering what Shaun’s thoughts were at the time, he shared with Us Weekly, “The problems that we do face, they kind of fall away through communication. It’s just been great.” But that wasn’t all he said, “I would love to be a dad. It’s just something that seems so exciting, you know? I love being around people, and I love the idea of having someone other than my own pursuits to look after.”
Olympic games – no guesses who’s his biggest fan
As Shaun prepared to head off to compete in his fifth Olympic Games, Nina told E!, “I am really excited for him. Just to get into the Olympics at all is one of the hugest accomplishments, let alone to get in five times. I’m so excited. I’m so proud of him.”
In an interview with People, Shaun said, “Nina’s just been so supportive and so amazing through this whole process for me. Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver—she really made that time in my life special.”
Nina Dobrev and Shaun White started dating in late 2019 after meeting at a Florida workshop organized by motivational speaker Tony Robbins (Credit: Cover Images/INSTARimages)
Shaun claimed that this was going to be his last Olympics and Nina supported him wholeheartedly – “He’s had such an incredibly long and amazing, successful run of the sport. He knows when the time is to throw the hat in, and he’s decided that it’s now.”
After finishing his final Olympics, Nina wrote a heartfelt message on Instagram, “I am in awe of you. Today we are celebrating you. Your hard work. Your passion. Your determination. Your talent. Your class. Your fearlessness. Your courage. Your soul. Your heart. YOUR LEGACY. I couldn’t be more proud. Of everything you have accomplished over the last 20 years as a competitor and the man you have become. You are one of a kind. The end of one chapter, means the beginning of another. You will forever be the G.O.A.T. of snowboarding. Not to mention you are also the G.(B).O.A.T. = Greatest Boyfriend Of All Time.”
Nina Dobrev in a daring cherry red dress by Mônot with a revealing asymmetrical cut-out at the amfAR Gala Cannes 2022 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 26, 2022, in Cap d’Antibes, France (Credit: ABACA / INSTARimages)
The couple headed off to Costa Rica to celebrate his retirement, sharing their trip on Instagram. One of Nina’s first bikini pics, has Shaun commenting with heart emojis, “Costa Rica looks good on you.” The couple couldn’t have looked more in love.
And the romance continues
Since then, the couple made their first red carpet appearance in May this year for the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in support of friend Miles Teller and Nina’s ex-boyfriend Glen Powell.
The couple love traveling, and Shaun is passing on some of his skills to Nina, “I’m teaching Nina how to surf currently. She’s so talented as a snowboarder, which is great, because I’ve been in past relationships when they couldn’t snowboard, and I’m a terrible coach. I’m like, ‘You just do it! But now she’s got the surfing bug. She’s excited about it, so now we’re trying to find places we can go surf and vacation and hang … She caught like seven waves in Hawaii and it was like she was feeling it, yeah!”
Nina Dobrev highlights her boobs in a sexy red dress paired with a large diamond choker necklace (Credit: Simon Comi / IPA / INSTARimages)
The couple has moved in together in New York, and an inside source told Us that Nina and Shaun are “excited to explore the city together” and “soak up all the alone time they can” before their schedules get even busier.
And as for the engagement news, we will all just have to wait in anticipation of that announcement!