PEOPLE confirms Shaun White and Nina Dobrev have ended their engagement after five years together.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist, 39, and The Vampire Diaries actress, 36, split following a mutual decision made “with love and a deep respect for one another,” according to a source close to the pair.
White proposed to Dobrev in October 2024 with a 5-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring during a surprise dinner at The Golden Swan in New York City.
The source tells PEOPLE the breakup “wasn’t an easy one” but both parties agreed to end their relationship amicably.
Representatives for White and Dobrev did not respond to requests for comment.
Signs of the Split
Dobrev appeared at the Eternity premiere during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7 without her engagement ring.
She’s also unpinned her engagement announcement from the top of her Instagram profile, where it had remained since White’s proposal last fall.
The couple was last photographed together on August 31, 2025, holding hands while running errands in Los Angeles.
How They Met
White and Dobrev first encountered each other at an awards show in 2012 but didn’t connect until 2019. They met again as speakers at a Tony Robbins motivational event in Florida.
White admitted he didn’t initially know who Dobrev was. “I actually didn’t know anything about [Dobrev]” at the time, he told PEOPLE in January 2022. He became curious when several staff members requested photos with her. “And I was like, ‘What’s happening? What’s going on?’ It was actually really funny.”
The couple began dating in 2019 and moved in together at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
White made their relationship Instagram official in May 2020, sharing photos of Dobrev giving him a quarantine haircut.
Their Relationship Journey
The pandemic lockdown strengthened their bond, according to White.
“Nina’s just been so supportive and so amazing through this whole process for me. Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver – she really made that time in my life special.”
Dobrev supported White during his final Olympic competition in Beijing 2022, which he described as “emotional” and “overwhelming.”
Before those Olympics, White hinted at a possible engagement while speaking to PEOPLE at the Oasis Celsius Vibe House.
“We’re just enjoying our time together right now. No pressure,” he said. “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.'”
“But you never know. We’ll see what happens,” he added.
The Proposal
White orchestrated the October 2024 proposal by telling Dobrev they were attending a CFDA/Vogue event hosted by Anna Wintour.
Instead, he surprised her with dinner at The Golden Swan in New York City, where he presented the 5-carat diamond ring.
Both shared photos of the engagement on Instagram. White wrote, “She said YES .”
“RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé,” Dobrev captioned her post.
Throughout their five-year relationship, the couple frequently appeared together on red carpets and shared glimpses of their life on social media, from international vacations to music festival appearances at Coachella.
