Nina Dobrev and Sean White reportedly split up because they weren’t on the same page anymore.
Their split appears to have come out of blue at first glance, but insiders told the Daily Mail Thursday that it wasn’t so surprising as they had been moving in different directions for a while.
Dobrev, 36, and White, 39, reportedly had different priorities. The pro snowboarder wanted to start a family while the actress was focused on her career.
“Shaun retired and had his final Olympics. He was ready for marriage and children,” the insider explained, referring to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which finished fourth in the men’s half-pipe event.
“Nina was on board, and I’m also very interested to see where her acting career goes. It’s very important to her and very important,” they pointed out, adding that White “focused on being an entrepreneur after her snowboarding career was over.”
“He was a father and wanted that life,” they continued. “As much as they had the same ideals and wanted to enjoy the same ride, they naturally couldn’t get together on a common goal, and that was the burden on their relationship.”
It is also reported that the couple has issues adapting to the world after they began dating in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They fell in love (during the pandemic) and thrived, but as with many relationships in both the celebrity world and the real world, something changed when they left,” the source said.
“The way people manage their lives, they were important and everything in between was different.
In response to the couple who were photographed while running together in late August, the insider claimed that “they continue to live every day and have not grown as a couple.”
“Vampire’s Diary” actress and White are reportedly “stuck in their own way.”
“Yes, there was love there, they had an incredible time with each other, but they didn’t develop what they had and develop it into something more, so the most logical thing was to break up before they either hated each other or entered into a love marriage,” the source added.
“While they were still young, they were smart enough to go outside right now while they could still move on from each other without any luggage.”
On Thursday, news broke that the couple split five years later and ended their engagement.
“It was a mutual decision, not an easy decision, but it was made with love and deep respect for each other,” a source nearby told people.
Following the news, Eagle Eyed fans noticed that the “perks of being a wallflower” actress had not resolved her engagement announcement on social media.
They also found out she had dumped her engagement ring when she appeared at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.
However, it remains unknown when the split actually occurs.
The couple confirmed their romance via social media in April 2020, a year after the meeting at the event.
By 2022, the three-time Olympic gold medalist hinted at Dobrev’s children when he shared that he “want to be a dad.”
“It’s just so exciting, do you know?” he told Weekly that January. “I love being around people and the idea of someone else being cared for me outside of my pursuit.”
The two officially made things official in 2024 when White announced their engagement after popping questions in New York City.
