How Shaun White Found a Winning Partner in Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev & Shaun White Make Their Red Carpet Debut

Spend capable clip dating successful Hollywood, and you'll travel up with a program for however to deal erstwhile a narration goes sideways. 

Nina Dobrev's strategy, for instance, involves her passport. The Bulgaria-born, Canada-bred histrion has "been benignant of each over," she shared successful a 2018 interrogation with Cosmopolitan. "I don't often splurge connected worldly things; I splurge connected flights and travel. I've been to Thailand, Japan, Australia, Brussels, Switzerland. [I like] discovering caller cultures, gathering caller people, getting distant from my mean schedule." 

As in, having nary docket astatine all, which is what she does erstwhile she's off-the-clock. "I'm 1 of those radical who works hard and plays hard—I spell 130 percent successful either direction," she continued, noting that wanderlust hits adjacent harder erstwhile she's recovering from a split. Asked to share her tried-and-true breakup strategy, she told the mag, "A level ticket, a solid of tequila and a radical of girlfriends."

Though having a promising caller romanticist imaginable tag on works arsenic well. 

At archetypal glance, The Vampire Diaries alum, 35, and the three-time Olympic golden medalist, marking his 38th day Sept. 3, whitethorn not person seemed similar evident question buddies—much little a winning match. And yet, astir 5 years into their coupling, Dobrev's pals are enthusiastically rooting them on.  

The histrion having dated TVD costar Ian Somerhalder for 3 years, followed by relationships with actors Austin Stowell, Glen Powell and past filmmaker Mellon, "Shaun is simply a departure from erstwhile guys Nina has been with," a root told E! News successful March 2020. "Her friends are pleasantly surprised."

Dobrev checks off White's boxes arsenic well. 

During his Olympic tally successful 2018, the jock described to People what kept his narration with then-girlfriend Phantogram rocker Sarah Barthel, gliding along. "We unrecorded successful 2 antithetic worlds, truthful that's wherefore it's bully to travel unneurotic and stock stories from the road," helium explained. And though Dobrev is an avid snowboarder herself, harmless to accidental she won't beryllium critiquing White's Double McTwist 1260. 

White also said helium appreciates idiosyncratic who not lone gets his peripatetic lifestyle, but lives it themselves: "It's nice to not person idiosyncratic like, 'When are you coming home?'" helium noted. "They get it, they recognize being connected the road."

And helium conscionable mightiness person recovered that forgiving, adventurous spouse successful Dobrev.  Because, arsenic it turns out, their database of commonalities extends acold beyond arsenic demanding careers and a stamp-filled passport. "Nina and Shaun stock a batch of similarities," the insider tells E! News, "they are some precise positive, and social and bask spending clip outdoors and staying active."

How Nina Dobrev's BF Shaun White Helped Her Prep for New Movie

And portion Dobrev can't precisely laic assertion to 3 Olympic golden medals, she does cognize however to shred. 

"I really person been snowboarding since I was truly little," she revealed portion stopping by E!'s Daily Pop in 2022. "I skied archetypal and past I switched implicit to snowboarding astatine astir apt 8 oregon 9."

Which was a amusive astonishment for White the archetypal clip they took to the slopes. "He was expecting to hold for maine and it was rather the opposite," she shared. "I had already passed him by a landslide. Now I tin support up!"

That infinitesimal checked disconnected a large container for White. 

"She's truly bully connected the board," helium told E! News successful May. "She grew up successful Canada. So, it was bully 'cause that's decidedly sometimes a narration make-or-break. Not if they can't ride, but I've had radical travel up with maine and it didn't extremity good 'cause I'm not the champion manager astatine times."

And that chemistry Dobrev mentioned? It's surely there, arsenic evidenced by their August 2020 ocean romp successful Mexico—a piggyback thrust and heavy h2o smooch the worldly of rom-com item reels. 

"Nina and Shaun complement each different precise well," the insider told E! News. "They person akin energy, they some are fun, low-maintenance radical who similar to laugh." 

Not to mention, they're supportive AF. Though COVID protocols prevented Dobrev from joining her antheral at his fifth—and final!—Olympic Games successful Beijing, she sent him disconnected with rather the farewell. "My sendoff to China was conscionable truthful beautiful," helium raved connected Today. "She made this unthinkable video of each my friends and family. Really incredible."

Because that's however she sees him. "I americium truly excited for him," she said during her appearance on E!'s Daily Pop. "Just to get into the Olympics astatine each is 1 of the hugest accomplishments, fto unsocial to get successful five times. I'm truthful excited. I'm truthful arrogant of him."

It's a emotion helium could consciousness each the mode successful China. 

"I privation she could person been here," White said connected Today. "She was trying her hardest to sneak successful somehow. But, you know, she's been truthful supportive and truthful wonderful, truly conscionable successful my country each measurement of the way."

(This communicative was primitively published connected Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 at 12 a.m. PT.)