Shaun White, Nina Dobrev Friend Lays Bare the Brutal Reality of What Caused Split: 'He Was Very Ready for Marriage and Kids… She Wanted to Go to Hollywood’
White wanted kids while Dobrev was focused on her Hollywood career.
Sept. 12 2025, Published 11:47 a.m. ET
Shaun White and Nina Dobrev stunned fans when they called off their engagement and suddenly split after five years together, while a friend says it had been a long time coming, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The gold-medal-winning snowboarder, 39, and The Vampire Diaries alum, 36, were photographed holding hands days before their breakup. Still, the pair had grown apart due to their vastly different plans for the future.
Different Goals Over Starting a Family
White was always there to support Dobrev on her red carpet movie premieres.
"Shaun is retired and has had his last Olympics; he was very ready for marriage and kids and all that comes from that," an insider told the Daily Mail.
"Nina was on board but also very interested in seeing where her acting career was going to go, as that was and is very important to her," the source dished.
White retired from professional snowboarding after competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, while Dobrev has worked steadily in movies and TV since the former couple started dating in 2020.
White's Next Chapter
White has taken home three gold medals in three different Winter Olympics.
"Shaun has done some acting but has focused on being an entrepreneur after his snowboarding career finished up, and he was gea
ring up to be a father and wanting that life," the insider said about how much he wanted to experience fatherhood as his next chapter.
"As much as they had the same ideals and wanted to enjoy the same ride, they naturally couldn't come together on a common goal, and that was the strain on their relationship," the source spilled.
'Stuck in Their Own Ways'
White and Dobrev's releationship blossomed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former couple began dating in the spring of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, after being introduced at a Tony Robbins workshop in late 2019. The duo went Instagram official in May 2020 and spent the lockdowns at home together.
"They fell in love [during the pandemic] and thrived, but once they got out, like many relationships both in the celebrity world and in the real world, something changed," said the pal.
"The way people managed their lives, what they thought was important, and everything in between became different. And all that takes a toll."
As a result, the stars became "stuck in their own ways."
'They Are Both to Blame'
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
White and Dobrev went Christmas tree shopping in December 2022.
"They just kept living day in and day out and not growing as a couple.Yes, there was love there, they had an incredible time with each other, but since they weren't nurturing what they had and growing it into something more, the most logical thing to do was to break up before they ended up hating each other or entering into a loveless marriage," the source blabbed about why the pair decided to call it quits after so may years together.
The insider explained that their relationship "wasn't getting better" and that "they are both to blame."
''They were smart enough to get out now while they still are young and while they still can move on from each other without any baggage."
White popped the question in October 2024 under an arch of white roses at New York's The Swan restaurant, presenting Dobrev with a gorgeous 5-carat diamond ring.
The former Olympic champ said in an April 2023 interview about their easygoing romance, "We're just enjoying our time together right now. No pressure. But I told her, I was like, 'Look, after the Olympics, I finally got my freedom to do whatever. And let's just have fun and be together and support each other.'"
