Nina Dobrev and Shaun White reportedly end their engagement in surprise split: A look back at their 5-year relationship

After five years together, Nina Dobrev and Shaun White have called it quits, according to news reports. The Olympic snowboarder proposed to The Vampire Diaries star nearly a year ago, in October 2024. Dobrev, however, has since unpinned the Instagram post announcing the engagement, which was previously front and center at the top of her grid.

Dobrev and White have yet to address their breakup publicly, though a source close to the duo told People that “it was a mutual decision, and wasn’t an easy one, but it was made with love and a deep respect for one another.”

The longtime couple was last photographed together in late August, though Dobrev was photographed solo on the red carpet of the Eternity premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival this month.

From sparking romance rumors in 2020 to their eventual engagement in 2024, here’s a look back at Dobrev and White’s five-year relationship.

2020: Sheltering in place together

Dobrev and White, who first met at a motivational workshop in Florida, initially sparked romance rumors in February 2020, when they shared separate Instagram posts in the same location. They went on to make their relationship Instagram official two months later, in April 2020, when they posted a video of Dobrev washing the dishes with White’s hands.

When the couple decided to move in together during lockdown, they busied themselves with side projects, like painting and at-home repairs.

"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," White told People of their days in lockdown, before gushing about how supportive the Canadian actress is. “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.”

2021: A public declaration of love

On Valentine’s Day 2021, Dobrev and White publicly celebrated their relationship with an Instagram post. The Degrassi actress shared a photo of the pair with her dog, Maverick, along with the caption, “my favorite snow cone flavor is White. happy we got ‘stuck together’ last year and stuck it out ;) happy valentine’s day to my quarantini in crime... 🤍”

While the couple continued to shelter in place amid the coronavirus pandemic, White told Us Weekly that he did manage to pull together a sweet first anniversary celebration.

“I wanted to recreate our first date, but everything was closed,” he told the outlet in June 2021. “I managed to sweet talk the owner of the place to open up for us. It was actually pretty fun to have a place all to ourselves.”

Ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in which he competed, White further detailed his relationship with Dobrev and the positive influence she’s had on him.

"Nina's incredible," he told People. "What an influence on my life. Not only does she run her own show, her own world, companies she's involved in, things she's producing, all this stuff going on. She holds me to this same high standard which is so wonderful to have in a partner."

2022: A foray into snowboarding and a red carpet debut

While chatting with E! News in January 2022, the Love Hard star revealed that she had surprised White during their second big vacation together. While White, who made his fifth Winter Olympics appearance that year, knows his way around a mountain, Dobrev says she can hold her own too.

"I think [White] was more surprised when we went [snowboarding] for the first time," she told the outlet. "He was expecting to wait for me and it was quite the opposite. I had already passed him by a landslide … I can keep up!"

When White retired from snowboarding following the 2022 Winter Olympics, Dobrev threw a retirement party to celebrate his storied career. The former Degrassi actress shared a photo of the festivities, where guests wore long red wigs in honor of White’s iconic hair color.

Dobrev and White went on to make their red carpet debut as a couple at the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in May 2022.

2023: White supports Dobrev at a movie premiere

In June 2023, White joined Dobrev at the Los Angeles premiere of her Netflix film, The Out-Laws. They cleaned up well too: Dobrev wore a sparkly Khaite minidress, while her Olympian beau opted for a dark plum suit.

The couple stepped out together once more, in September 2023, when they attended the second annual Albies in New York City in coordinating Versace looks.

"An immensely important evening to shine a protective light on the many courageous individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice," Dobrev wrote on Instagram. "Thank you George and Amal Clooney for a beautiful evening, and to all the honorees for dedicating your lives in the pursuit of justice. The world is a better place because of you."

2024: Disneyland, Coachella and an engagement

For Dobrev’s 35th birthday in January 2024, White organized a trip to Disneyland with a group of her friends, including Dancing With the Stars pro Julianne Hough. Dobrev gushed about the surprise celebration in an Instagram post featuring a carousel of photos from the so-called “happiest place on earth.”

“Feeling incredibly lucky, celebrated, loved, grateful and appreciative of all the wonderful souls I am fortunate to surround myself with. When it comes to friends, I definitely hit the jackpot. Huge thank you to my love @shaunwhite for orchestrating the whole thing! You sneaky lil devil ♥️🥰🫶🏼😍😘 love you,” read part of her caption.

A few months later, in April 2024, Dobrev and White headed to the desert for Coachella. On Instagram, White shared a series of photos from the music festival, alongside the caption, “COACHELLA 🌴.”

Later that year, in October 2024, White revealed that he and Dobrev had gotten engaged. The Olympic snowboarder shared a series of photos from his proposal on Instagram, in which he’s seen down on one knee in front of Dobrev, in a room filled with candles and white roses.

"She said YES 💍♾️," White wrote in the caption.

White proposed at the Golden Swan restaurant in New York City, under the guise that he and Dobrev would be attending a CFDA dinner, per Vogue. Dobrev, in a full Chanel look, revealed that White had “said all the right things” during the proposal, and she couldn’t help but say yes. As for the hardware? White gave the Canadian actress a five-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring.

In December 2024, Dobrev went on to celebrate their “First Christmas as fiancées 🥹🤍” with a sweet Instagram post.

2025: The end of an era

Dobrev and White ended their engagement and relationship after five years together, according to reports. The decision, while difficult, was mutual and “made with love and a deep respect for one another,” a source told People.

Around six months before their breakup, Dobrev told E! News that she and White hadn’t started wedding planning.

“We’re just enjoying being engaged at this point and being in that sort of phase because a lot of your life is — you have a boyfriend for half of your life and then you have a husband for half of your life but the fiancé period is very short,” she said in March 2025.

Dobrev added of being engaged, “I really want to enjoy it and not rush that process.”