Nina Dobrev and Shaun White: A Timeline of Their Relationship

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Nina Dobrev and Shaun White: A Timeline of Their Relationship

More than a summer fling! Nina Dobrev and Shaun White’s whirlwind romance has gotten very serious, very quickly. The Vampire Diaries alum and the professional snowboarder sparked dating rumors in February 2020 when fans noticed that they had shared similar photos from a trip to South Africa. One month later, they were photographed together for the first time during a bike ride in Malibu. Us Weekly broke the news in April 2020 that Dobrev and White were, in fact, a couple. A source said at the time, “They’re enjoying their time together and getting to know each other better. Nina really likes Shaun, and they both laugh a lot together.” The actress made their relationship Instagram official in May 2020 when she shared a photo of herself holding a pair of scissors while the athlete jokingly looked afraid. White later uploaded a video of Dobrev changing up his look, which he captioned, “My hairstylist said he wouldn’t, so she did. #QuarantineCuts.” [jwplayer N9KQeovk-zhNYySv2] An insider exclusively revealed to Us at the time that the duo were “living together” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re super compatible and both free-spirited people,” the insider added. “They’re very comfortable around each other and both supportive of one another in their fields.” Things heated up between Dobrev and White in August 2020 when they took a trip to Tulum, Mexico, where they were spotted getting cozy on a beach and in the water. “Nina and Shaun have gotten really close during the quarantine and have been having the best time traveling together,” a source exclusively told Us. “Shaun is super happy and loving life.” As the couple’s romance has developed, they’ve become pros at balancing busy schedules and making time to see one another. “We have a nice little system of how to stay in touch,” White exclusively told Us Weekly about how the duo manages long-distance dating in October 2021. “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.” He added at the time: “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.” The Degrassi: The Next Generation alum previously dated her Vampire Diaries costar Ian Somerhalder from 2011 to 2013, Bridge of Spies actor Austin Stowell from 2015 to 2016 and former Scream Queens star Glen Powell for most of 2017. The Olympian, for his part, dated rock singer Sarah Barthel from 2014 to 2019. Scroll down to see a timeline of Dobrev and White’s relationship:

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram; Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

February 2020

The Perks of Being a Wallflower star and the X Games gold medalist shared several snaps from their South African safari in February 2020. Although they did not pose together in any of the pictures, eagle-eyed Instagram users were quick to point out that they were always in the same location.

Credit: APEX / MEGA

March 2020

The couple were spotted enjoying a bike ride in Malibu in March 2020 with one of White’s dogs in tow.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

April 2020

After Dobrev shared a video of herself and the ESPY Award winner washing their groceries in April 2020, a source exclusively told Us that they were an item.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

May 2020

“Adding to resume: hairdresser,” the model joked in the caption of her first Instagram post with White in May 2020.

Credit: BROADIMAGE/MEGA

August 2020

The lovebirds locked lips during their trip to Tulum, Mexico, in August 2020.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

November 2020

The twosome celebrated their first Thanksgiving together in November 2020. "I’m so thankful to be surrounded by so much love!!" White captioned an Instagram post featuring photos of their family gathering. "Getting older and watching my family continue to grow has been incredible. Hope everyone out there had an amazing thanksgiving!"

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

December 2020

The pair posed for the perfect end-of-fall photo with autumn leaves as their background in December 2020. "Catch me if you can," Dobrev captioned the cute shot.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

December 2020

While participating in an Instagram challenge in December 2020, Dobrev uploaded the very first photo the couple ever took together.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

January 2021

White celebrated Dobrev’s 32nd birthday by posting a series of goofy photos. “Too bad we never have any fun together …” he wrote via Instagram, adding winking, champagne and party emojis. “Happy birthday baby!”

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

January 2021

Dobrev shared a clip via her Instagram Story on January 16 that showed her practicing at a shooting club. “When you ask him to take a video of you shooting…” she captioned the post, in which White zoomed in on her butt while she aimed the rifle.

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock; Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

June 2021

The Olympian, who binge-watched Dobrev’s show The Vampire Diaries, exclusively told Us Weekly about their one-year anniversary celebration. “I wanted to recreate our first date, but everything was closed,” he explained. “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.” He added that Dobrev can easily keep up with him on the slopes, calling her “pretty talented on the snowboard.”

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

June 2021

The couple posed against a rainbow wall as they enjoyed their first party since the pandemic.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

September 2021

“The person in this photo is the funniest, most charming, sexiest, and hardest working person I know. The other person is my boyfriend,” the actress captioned a photo of the couple on his 35th birthday via Instagram. “Happy birthday baby, thank you for always being older than me. @shaunwhite.”

Credit: Courtesy Nina Dobrev/Instagram

October 2021

The couple celebrated Halloween Queens Gambit style with the help of pal Adam Devine. While Dobrev dressed as Thomas Brodie Sangster’s Benny Watts, White put on a red wig to be Anya Taylor Joy’s Beth Harmon and the Pitch Perfect actor was a chess piece.

“Your move @anyataylorjoy ♟👑,” White captioned a series of snaps.

Credit: Nina Dobrev/Instagram

January 2022

Dobrev shared sweet snaps from a trip to the slopes with her snowboarding beau. “Snow daze,” she captioned the goofy photos.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

January 2022

“LFG! Beijing babbbbbbbyyy @shaunwhite,” Dobrev gushed via her Instagram Story on January 15 after the snowboarder made the Olympic team. “So proud of you. Time to celebrate.”

Credit: Shaun White/Instagram

January 2022

The Olympian exclusively told Us about how a last-minute trip to South Africa made him realize that their romance was more than a fling. Dobrev was filming Redeeming Love in South Africa and invited White to come visit her on location.

“That was actually how we kind of started our relationship,” told Us in January 2022 while promoting his CELSIUS Energy Drink partnership. “I was like, ‘All right. Yeah. OK.’ And she [thought], ‘Oh, this guy, he came to play. He’s serious.’"

Credit: Shaun White/Instagram

January 2022

Talking is key for the couple. "The problems that we do face, they kind of fall away through communication. It’s just been great," gushed to Us ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

The Fresh Vine Wine cofounder cheered on her man as he prepared to join Team USA again. “She’s just been so incredibly supportive,” the athlete said. “She’s like, ‘Hey, I’m here to help you … how do I help you?’ It’s not about her. She’s just been so giving in that sense.”

White added that the actress has “this overwhelming kindness and care for people,” a quality that he adores. He continued, telling Us, “She wants to elevate the people around her. It’s such a beautiful thing, especially in today’s world. … To have that kind of a caring quality still is really special.”

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

January 2022

"I am really excited for him," Nina told E!'s Daily Pop on Tuesday, January 25. "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."

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/TikTok

January 2022

While filming a TikTok video, the athlete was interrupted by his girlfriend and dog Maverick.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

February 2022

“We'll be anxiously watching from home and cheering him on,” Dobrev exclusively told Us of her plans to watch White compete at the Olympics. “I'm very, very excited for him. I can't wait.”

The One director revealed that she supports her boyfriend in “whatever decision he makes” after White previously claimed that the 2022 Beijing Olympics would be his last. “He’s had such an incredibly long and amazing, successful run of the sport,” she added. “He knows when the time is to throw the hat in, and he's decided that it's now.”

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

February 2022

“By your side every step of the way,” Dobrev captioned an Instagram Story slide while watching her beau’s Beijing Olympics snowboarding qualifiers.

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

February 2022

Dobrev praised her beau after he finished his final Olympics run in fourth place. "I am in awe of you. Today we are celebrating you," she wrote via Instagram. "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."

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

February 2022

"He's home," Dobrev captioned an Instagram Story photo of her and her beau at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, days after his final Olympics appearance. Both wore personalized Rams jerseys. White shared a video of them enjoying Mickey Guyton's national anthem performance via his own Instagram Story.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

February 2022

Dobrev kicked off their Valentine's celebration with a sweet poem. "Rose’s are red violets are blue how great is it that I’m still not sick of you. I’m yours no refunds," she wrote via Instagram with a "happy valentine's day" hashtag.

"Nature finds a way …. Happy Valentine’s Day @Nina ❤️," White captioned a hilarious photo of the couple kissing through face shields.

Credit: Courtesy of Julianne Hough/Instagram

February 2022

Dobrev is to thank for White's first Super Bowl trip, which happened right after his final Olympics.

"My girlfriend said, 'If you're retiring, you've gotta make this list of things you want to do,'" White recalled during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the time. "Pretty close to the top of the list was, 'Go to a Super Bowl,' because it's always during the competitive season — I've never been to one. So I landed, said hi to everyone ... and went straight to the Super Bowl."

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

February 2022

"Congratulations on a monumental career," Dobrev wrote while sharing White's letter about his final Olympic run via Instagram.

The athlete re-shared her message via his own Instagram Story, and he added some videos to reveal how he's spending retirement. He and his girlfriend were enjoying some warm weather at what appeared to be a lake.

White showed Dobrev's dog following him on a dock to see his love, who was floating on a paddle board in the water. "Retirement," he captioned the peaceful clip.

Credit: Jack Platner

March 2022

“Celebrating the 🐐 and bringing back the 👩🏻‍🦰 one last time,” Dobrev captioned an Instagram slideshow of pics from her boyfriend’s retirement party.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

March 2022

The duo jetted off to Costa Rica for a tropical getaway that featured pool hangs, cocktails and sunbathing

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

March 2022

“Accidentally got into a Fendi bender in Costa Rica,” the Redeeming Love actress captioned a series of vacation photos on March 20.

Credit: Shutterstock

April 2022

The pair were spotted cuddling up to one another while attending the second weekend of Coachella.

Credit: Shutterstock

April 2022

White opened up about watching Dobrev on The Vampire Diaries while answering fan questions on TikTok. "I wasn’t going to see her for, like, three months so I was like, 'Oh, this will be cool, I’ll start the show.' I’ll see her without seeing her," he explained. "It was cool, but it got a little dark. She was, like, the love interest of all the guys on the show and I found myself really rooting for them. I’m like, 'Am I in the way?' I don’t know if that was healthy or not, but I did watch the show and it was really funny."

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

April 2022

The duo partied in the desert for Coachella Music Festival weekend two. “Coachella and back. @worldofmark thanks for the ride 🤝,” White wrote via Instagram after the event.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

May 2022

The retired athlete joined Dobrev in Greece while she was in town filming a new movie. “I’ll be zooming from here today, and forever. c u never,” she captioned a series of ocean-filled photos. Dobrev later shared snaps with White sipping Tiki drinks on one of the Greek islands.

Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock

May 2022

The duo stepped out in London for the Top Gun: Maverick premiere to support pal Miles Teller and Dobrev’s ex-boyfriend Glen Powell. The event marked the actress and the athlete’s first red carpet as a couple.

Credit: Shutterstock

May 2022

Days after their red carpet debut, the duo headed to France to attend another glamorous event, a charity gala for Ukrainian refugees. The lovebirds struck a pose at the Hollywood Domino's With Love For Peace Gala in partnership with PCI Media and USA for UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency).

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

May 2022

The happy couple attended the Cannes Film Festival together. “Cannes you believe it ,” the Olympian captioned an Instagram photo of him and Dobrev dressed up for the event. "At times I Cannes not," the Degrassi alum commented.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

June 2022

"Schedule for the next week: eat. sleep. burn. apply aloe. repeat," the Perks of Being a Wallflower actress captioned a series of Instagram photos from her and White's vacation to the Maldives. Before their arrival, they enjoyed a layover in Dubai.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

June 2022

During their beach vacation, Dobrev sipped a cocktail out of a glass while her man went the traditional route with a coconut.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Tiktok

July 2022

The couple enjoyed a star-studded double date night with Miles and Keleigh Teller at a UFC fight night in Las Vegas, which Dobrev chronicled in a TikTok video that included appearances from Chris Pratt and Shaquille O'Neal.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

July 2022

Since competing in the Winter Olympics in February 2022, White exclusively told Us that in addition to travelling around the world and continuing to snowboard, he passed on some special skills to his love.

“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!’” the athlete revealed. "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!”

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

August 2022

The lovebirds attended their pals Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams' wedding together. "Congratulations on your beautiful wedding day," White captioned a carousel of Instagram photos from the nuptials.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

September 2022

The Final Girls actress celebrated her beau's birthday with a lighthearted Instagram post. "I really picked a winner (and he really picked a booger). Happy belated birthday, you weirdo. My weirdo," she captioned a photo of White with his finger up her nose.

Credit: Scott Garfitt/Shutterstock

September 2022

Us confirmed that the pair moved in together in New York City, with a source exclusively revealing that White and Dobrev were "excited to explore the city together" and "soak up all the alone time they can" before their schedules get even busier.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/TikTok

October 2022

White proved the couple still had their sense of humor by posting a video reacting to his girlfriend’s Degrassi: The Next Generation scene where her character, Mia, tries out for the cheerleading squad. 

The clip, which is a duet with Dobrev, starts with White watching the scene unfold before he starts following along with the Vampire Diaries alum's character. 

The Olympic medalist busts out some cheer moves and kicks up his legs exactly like Nina before asking, “Did I make the team?” 

Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

November 2022

The couple were all smiles at the Guggenheim International Gala in New York City.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

December 2022

The twosome picked out their first New York City Christmas tree.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

December 2022

Dobrev and White celebrated Christmas with both of their families in Mexico.

Credit: Courtesy of Shaun White/Instagram

January 2023

“So F-ing cuteeee!!! Nina and I obviously… not the penguins,” White jokingly captioned an Instagram snap from the pair’s Antarctica vacation.

Credit: Courtesy of Nina Dobrev/Instagram

February 2023

"They’ve definitely discussed making things official,” an insider exclusively told Us. “They’ve talked about getting married, having kids, the whole nine yards.” The pair feel like "this is the year they take their relationship to the next level," the source said.