Why Nina Dobrev and Shaun White Broke Up: Sources (Exclusive)
NEED TO KNOW
- PEOPLE confirmed on Sept. 11 that Shaun White and Nina Dobrev had broken up and called off their engagement
- At the time, a source said it was a “mutual decision and wasn’t an easy one”
- Now, more information is coming to light about the reasons behind their split, sources tell PEOPLE
More information is coming out about Nina Dobrev and Shaun White‘s shocking split.
PEOPLE confirmed on Sept. 11 that the couple had broken up less than a year after getting engaged. At the time of the split, a source close to the pair said 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.”
Now, new details are emerging about what spurred the breakup between the actress, 36, and the Olympic gold medalist, 39, as multiple sources tell PEOPLE that Dobrev wanted to get married and start a family, but White was not on the same page.
“She is devastated,” one source says. “There was one reason: She wanted a family and wanted to get married — and he didn’t.”
However, another insider insists both White and Dobrev “wanted marriage and kids” and that “it wasn’t just one-sided.”
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The actress is currently out of the country and being “supported by family” in the aftermath of the split, adds the first source.
Reps for Dobrev and White have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Following the news of the split, fans began to speculate over why Dobrev and White might have gone their separate ways, and a TikTok posted by the Vampire Diaries star gained some major traction on social media.
In the video, Dobrev mouthed along to an audio that offered “advice for women trying to fix their man,” and said, “Listen, Bob the Builder, he’s got 10 other women trying to fix him too, and you all look like a damn construction crew.”
The sassy audio was interpreted by some as a subtle dig at White, and among the top comments on the post were that the video “makes sense now after the split news.”
Neither Dobrev nor White has addressed the breakup since news broke on Sept. 11. The retired snowboarder did post on Instagram on Sept. 15, though, as he marked his first trip back to Beijing since the 2022 Winter Olympics, after which he retired.
It was the first post from either of them since the split news, and White limited the comments on the post, which was also noticed by fans.
PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Dobrev and White were first romantically linked in 2020, but later revealed they started dating in late 2019.
He popped the question to the actress in October at a New York City restaurant, and a source told PEOPLE at the time, “Their friends knew it was coming and everyone is so happy for them.”
“After the proposal, they were calling and texting friends saying, ‘It can’t get better than this,’ and were just glowing.”
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In the days leading up to the split, Dobrev supported Miles Teller at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his new movie Eternity, and fans later noticed that she was not wearing her engagement ring for the Sept. 7 outing.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples