Aurora Starchild
Nina Dobrev and Shaun White may seem like an unlikely pair, but the celebrity power couple has a lot more in common than meets the eye. Dobrev is a lauded actress primarily known for The Vampire Diaries. Shaun White was a child prodigy of the skate and snowboard worlds who never stopped. And the two seem madly in love!
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Shaun White’s Rise to Fame
Shaun White is a California native who was raised by a surfing father and a waitress mother. One of four children, Shaun White and his family would travel up to Mammoth Lakes, June Lake, and other Eastern Sierra resorts where he learned how to snowboard.
Meanwhile, he was also frequenting the YMCA skate park in Encinitas, California, where he met Tony Hawk. Hawk eventually mentored him, and White became a pro skater at age 16. That same year, White started winning medals in big snowboarding events.
Shaun White received his first sponsorship at age 7 and was a household name before he turned 18. He competed in the Winter Olympics in 2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022, winning gold in the halfpipe event every year except for 2022. He’s competed in the X Games and Burton US Open competitions on numerous occasions, winning gold medals almost every time.
White’s young age and handsome redhead looks made him a celebrity known beyond the world of sports. He made cameo appearances on many TV shows and films including American Dad and a 2007 episode of The Girls Next Door.
White is also a businessman. He’s used his personal brand to create video games based on his persona, such as Shaun White: Snowboarding and Shaun White: Skateboarding. White is a partial owner of four ski resorts and has an estimated net worth of $65 million.
Nina Dobrev’s Rise to Fame
Nina Dobrev developed somewhat of a cult following thanks to her work on The Vampire Diaries as Elena Gilbert. Dobrev starred in 134 episodes of the show from 2009-2017, playing Elena and several of her character’s Doppelgangers.
Nina, born Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva, originally hails from Bulgaria but was raised in Canada. The trilingual actress began her film career in 2006 and so far, has over 50 acting credits under her belt, with 5 of those from forthcoming movies. She recently played a supporting role in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, starring Vin Diesel. She was also a supporting actress in The Perks of Being a Wallflower starring Emma Watson.
One might think that Shaun White’s fame outweighs that of Nina Dobrev, but the couple has a story to prove that wrong.
How Shaun White and Nina Dobrev Met
Shaun White and Nina Dobrev unofficially met in 2012 while at an awards show but were formally introduced 7 years later. After they both spoke at a Tony Robbins motivational speaking event, they decided to grab a meal together. It was the spring of 2019. White told People that he had no idea who Nina was at the time.
Nina went to ask the hostess if they could get a table and Shaun saw the employee blushing. Then a bunch of other servers gathered around, and Shaun assumed that they were star-struck by him. So, he walked over to oblige them when they asked, “Can we get a photo … with her?”
“I was like, ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’ It was actually really funny,” Shaun reminisced.
After that, it was on. Nina and Shaun totally hit it off. As it turns out, Nina Dobrev actually started skiing and snowboarding at the young age of 9. Dobrev has said that she surprised White when he first took her riding.
“He was expecting to wait for me, and it was quite the opposite,” Dobrev told E News! Daily Pop. “I had already passed him by a landslide. Now I can keep up!”
Shaun and Nina seem inseparable now, despite their busy schedules. Well, to be fair, Shaun White did officially announce his retirement after the 2022 Winter Olympics.
“We were flying all over,” White told People. “She’s an actress so she’s shooting movies, doing press and all these things, and I’m getting ready for competition, doing interviews and appearances.”
Shaun White and Nina Dobrev Constantly Post About Each Other on Instagram
The couple is always posting cute, loving, and often humorous photos of each other on Instagram. What’s incredible is that they developed their relationship at the height of the COVID pandemic and lockdowns and managed to come out alive and in love.
By the way, Nina Dobrev has 26 million followers on Instagram and Shaun White has 2.1 million. So, while White may be a bit more of a legend, he’s certainly met his match as far as fame goes. But their relationship isn’t shallow like that. Not at all.
Take, for instance, this photo of Shaun rolling back on some skate transition with Nina on his back. Or this tribute that Nina wrote for Shaun alongside a photo of him picking a real booger out of her nose. They’ve dressed up with each other for Halloween and posted hilarious videos of some role-playing. Their Valentine’s Day tributes are beyond adorable, like this one where Shaun is holding Nina’s dog and she’s licking his face. And Nina was 110% supportive of White at the 2022 Olympics, despite not being able to attend due to COVID restrictions.
Will White Pop the Question?
Last year, Shaun White told People that Nina has been a “lifesaver” for him and made his quarantine time special. The couple had just finished single-handedly painting Dobrev’s 1920’s Spanish-style West Hollywood villa. It took them months and then the home was featured in Architectural Digest.
“Nina’s just been so supportive and so amazing through this whole process for me,” White told People. “Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver — she really made that time in my life special.”
As for whether or not Shaun White is going to pop the question to Nina, we don’t know. E! News asked White if he was considering it, and he said he’s enjoying traveling at the moment. But didn’t deny the possibility, either.
“Time will tell,” said White. “Things are great with Nina and I, and I am so excited to focus on our relationship and my relationship with other friends and family.”
