After The Vampires Diaries premiered on The CW, fans quickly found themselves invested not only in the romantic relationships explored on the show, but also the ones in real life.
Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder, who portrayed love interests Elena Gilbert and Damon Salvatore, respectively, sparked a romance in 2010 and continued to date for three years. One year after their split, Somerhalder moved on with Nikki Reed.
Dobrev, for her part, found love with Shaun White in 2020. One year later, the athlete opened up about watching his girlfriend in her memorable role on the CW series.
“As we were getting to know each other, I was like, ‘Oh, I should check this show out,’” White exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2021. “There’s a lot of episodes. Not that I was mad about it, but I didn’t realize, like, how deep I was going to go.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about the Vampire Diaries cast and their love lives:
Nina Dobrev
Dobrev and Somerhalder took their onscreen romance into the real world and dated for three years before splitting in 2013. The Degrassi alum was later linked to actor Austin Stowell from 2015 to 2016. She briefly dated Scream Queens alum Glen Powell in 2017.
Dobrev began dating snowboarder Shaun White in February 2020. She confirmed in October 2024 that White proposed.
Paul Wesley
Wesley was married to Torrey DeVitto from 2011 to 2013. The Tell Me a Story actor later dated Phoebe Tonkin on and off for four years before they split in October 2017. He quietly married Ines de Ramon in 2019. The duo confirmed their decision to part ways in September 2022, noting that they had separated five months prior.
One month later, Wesley was seen packing on the PDA with model Natalie Kuckenburg during a romantic getaway to Italy. In February 2023, Us Weekly broke the news that Wesley filed for divorce from de Ramon, who is currently dating Brad Pitt.
Ian Somerhalder
Somerhalder met Maggie Grace on the set of Lost in 2004 and they dated for three years. The V Wars alum dated Dobrev from 2010 to 2013.
Somerhalder married Reed in 2015 and the couple welcomed their daughter, Bodhi Soleil, two years later. The pair announced in January 2023 that Reed was pregnant with their second child. They quietly welcomed their baby boy in June of that year.
Candice Accola
Accola was previously linked to her former Vampire Diaries costars Zach Roerig and Steven R. McQueen. After Dobrev introduced her to Joe King at a 2012 Super Bowl event, the duo started dating and became engaged the following year. They tied the knot in October 2014.
King and Accola welcomed daughter Florence in 2016 and daughter Josephine in December 2020.
In May 2022, Us broke the news that Accola filed for divorce from King one month prior. She subsequently moved on with The Originals alum Steven Krueger.
Kat Graham
Graham started dating Cottrell Guidry in 2008. They got engaged in October 2012, but ended their relationship two years later.
The singer became Instagram official with boyfriend Darren Genet, a cinematographer from The Vampire Diaries, in February 2020, after three years together. Us confirmed in May 2022 that the duo got engaged but they ultimately called it quits one year later. Graham reportedly married Bryant Wood in October 2023.
Zach Roerig
Roerig was previously linked to Accola while working on the CW series. He made headlines in 2013 when he sought sole custody of his daughter, Fiona, who was born in 2011, after his ex Alanna Turner was incarcerated for multiple crimes. He was later granted full custody.
Roerig briefly dated Nathalie Kelley after they met on the set of The Vampire Diaries in 2016.
Michael Trevino
The Roswell, New Mexico actor dated Jenna Ushkowitz from 2011 to 2014. He started dating Bregje Heinen in January 2020. Trevino announced in December 2023 that he proposed to Heinen on Christmas Eve.
Joseph Morgan
Morgan met Persia White on the set of The Vampire Diaries and they started dating in 2011. The twosome got engaged in 2014 and tied the knot in Jamaica later that year.
Michael Malarkey
Malarkey married Nadine Lewington in 2009. They share son Marlon (born in 2014) and son Hugo (born in 2019).
Steven R. McQueen
The Chicago Fire alum was previously linked to Chelsea Kane, Candice Accola, Hillary Harley, and Dylan Penn.
McQueen announced in January 2018 that he was engaged to Alexandra Silva. The duo called off their engagement four months later.
Matt Davis
The Legally Blonde actor was married to Leelee Sobieski from 2008 to 2009. Davis later tied the knot with actress Kiley Casciano in 2018 and their daughter, Ripley, was born two years later.
Phoebe Tonkin
The actress was previously linked to Ed Westwick, Chris Zylka and Xavier Samuel. The Secret Circle star started dating Wesley in 2013. The couple dated on and off for four years before calling it quits in October 2017.
Tonkin made her relationship with Alex Greenwald Instagram official in June 2020.
Claire Holt
In July 2015, Holt got engaged to longtime boyfriend Matthew Kaplan. The twosome got married one year later, but in April 2017, they called it quits.
Later that year, the Pretty Little Liars alum announced that she was engaged to real estate executive Andrew Joblon. Holt and Joblon tied the knot in August 2018, five months after the actress revealed on social media that she suffered a miscarriage. The pair welcomed son James in 2019, daughter Elle in 2020 and son Ford in November 2023.
Daniel Gillies
Gillies married Rachael Leigh Cook in 2004. They welcomed their daughter, Charlotte, in 2013 and their son, Theodore, in 2015. In June 2019, the duo announced their separation and the Originals alum filed for divorce one year later. Their divorce was finalized in March 2021.
The Saving Hope actor went Instagram official with Julia Misaki in February 2021.
Chris Wood
After meeting on the set of Supergirl in 2017, Wood started dating his costar Melissa Benoist. The duo got engaged two years later and tied the knot in 2019. Wood and Benoist welcomed a son in September 2020.