'The Vampire Diaries' fans have been inconsolable since Nina Dobrev announced that she was leaving the show. Fans immediately took to social media to let their feelings be known, with most of them wondering what the future holds for the hit The CW show now that one of its leads won't be returning for its seventh season.
Soon after Dobrev's Instagram announcement, many have speculated that she is leaving the show due to her 2013 breakup with Ian Somerhalder, who is now married to Nikki Reed—who happens to be one of Dobrev's close friends before Somerhalder and the 'Twilight' actress started dating.
Now, for the first time since Somerhalder's April wedding to Reed, Dobrev is breaking her silence on all those rumors that her breakup with the actor was the reason behind her decision to leave the show.
"I've said this before, that we didn't break up because anything bad happened or because there wasn't love or friendship," the actress told E! News. "I love him and the friendship is strong and I think he's great and I care about him. And that didn't change. Yes, we're professional and that's fine. We were friends long before we dated and we still are now."
Dobrev also addressed Somerhalder and Reed's recent nuptials, saying, "When I heard about the wedding, I thought it was beautiful. They look happy and I am happy and so I don't see why there should be a problem with that. The drama is in the media, it's not with us. But of course, we're on a teen drama show, everyone's going to look for drama. If there's no drama, there's nothing to write about. I just ignore it."
The 26-year old came of age on 'The Vampire Diaries', and it's clear that she's prepared for the next chapter in her life.
"I feel like I'm a completely different person than I was and I've grown so much," she told Self magazine. "It's been a big part of my life, and I want it to be beautiful. I want it to end well."
