High School Musical’s love story between Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez sparked an offscreen romance for the actors who played them.
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, who portrayed Troy and Gabriella in the 2006 DCOM, notably started dating shortly after filming the first movie. The pair called it quits in 2010 after five years of dating.
“We got lucky because we started off together, so I think people like us because they fell in love with the characters,” Hudgens told Glamour during a June 2010 interview of her then-boyfriend. “Right off the bat, we had a connection. I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable. I mean, he wasn’t the guy that he is today. Like, he had a gap in his teeth.”
Ashley Tisdale, for her part, found love with Christopher French, whom she wed in 2018. As the couple settled into married life, they avoided reliving her turn as Sharpay Evans in HSM, High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
“I don’t watch that stuff myself and my husband really hasn’t seen that stuff either. If [our daughter is] watching with her friends one day, I might come across it. But I don’t think I would expose her to that stuff. I don’t know,” Tisdale exclusively told Us Weekly in March 2021, referring to the pair’s first child, Jupiter, who was born later that month. “Maybe when the time comes, it will be different. I want her to be really grounded and hopefully live somewhat of a normal life.”
Scroll below for more on the High School Musical cast’s dating history through the years:
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Zac Efron
The Down to Earth alum dated Hudgens from 2006 to 2010, earning their “Zanessa” couple name. Following their split, Efron was linked to Alexandra Daddario, Collins, Michelle Rodriguez, businesswoman Miró and Valladares. The actor connected with the model in June 2020 during his trip to Australia, with a source telling Us that the twosome were “very smitten with each other.” The pair eventually split in April 2021.
He confirmed his single status in an October 2022 interview with Men’s Health, telling the outlet he will most likely “meet the right person” when he “least expect[s] it.”
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Vanessa Hudgens
After Efron, the Princess Switch star briefly dated Josh Hutcherson and Kyle Kuzma before her nine-year romance with Butler. Hudgens and the Elvis star split in January 2020. Several months later, she was spotted with the Pittsburgh Pirates athlete. They got engaged in late 2022 before the proposal news broke in February 2023. Three months after the pair’s December 2023 nuptials in Tulum, Hudgens announced she was pregnant with their first child at the 2024 Oscars.
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Ashley Tisdale
Similar to her HSM costars, Tisdale sparked on-set romance with Jared Murillo, a backup dancer on the project. After dating for two years, the pair called it quits in 2009. The Carol’s Second Act alum was later linked to Scott Speer and Boys Like Girls’ Martin Johnson before meeting French. Tisdale and her now-husband were set up by mutual friends in 2012, nearly eight months before they got engaged. They welcomed daughter Jupiter in March 2021. The pair welcomed their second daughter, Emerson, in September 2024.
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Lucas Grabeel
The Missouri native — who played Sharpay’s twin brother, Ryan — has mostly kept his romantic relationships relatively private. The Switched at Birth alum previously dated Emily Morris starting in 2005 before eventually moving on with teacher Sammie Kate in 2020. Though he rarely posted about either of his past partners, the actor appears to be in a relationship with Riham El-Ounsi, whom he frequently poses with on social media.
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Corbin Bleu
The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star, who played Chad Danforth in the OG films, previously dated Jamie Murray and Maiara Walsh before finding love with actress Sasha Clements. Us confirmed in July 2016 that the A Christmas Dance Reunion star and Clements tied the knot nearly two years after their Disney World proposal.
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Monique Coleman
Coleman, who is best known for her role as brainiac Taylor McKessie in HSM, married longtime love Walter Jordan in a 2010 ceremony in Thailand. In December 2021, she revealed she suffered a pregnancy loss.
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Olesya Rulin
The Russia native, who played pianist Kelsi in the DCOM flicks, has been relatively tight-lipped about her love life after being linked to Younger’s Nico Tortorella and Andrew Gray McDonnell. The Greek alum wed The Laundry Room founder Joseph Noel Pauline in February 2022, shortly before the pair announced they were expecting their first child together. She announced the birth of their daughter, Ondine Michelle Pauline, that August.
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Kaycee Stroh
Stroh married Ben Higginson in January 2009, three years after she rose to fame playing brainiac Martha in the musical. The twosome welcomed daughters Zetta and Lettie in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
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Bart Johnson
Johnson, who portrayed Troy’s dad in the flicks, married actress Robyn Lively in September 1999. They share sons Baylen and Wyatt and daughter Kate.