After a tumultuous two years in both her personal and professional lives, it’s clear that 2017 will be a major comeback year for Nina Dobrev.
Dobrev is returning to The Vampire Diaries for the show’s series finale, even though it’ll mean working with her ex, Ian Somerhalder.
Sounds like a nightmare scenario, but fortunately, Nina is riding high these days, thanks to the new man in her life.
E! News is reporting today that Nina is dating actor Glen Powell.
Powell might not be a household name, but he’s drawing rave reviews for his performance in Hidden Figures, and many expect him to be the next big thing.
He’s also a regular on the Fox series Scream Queens.
We’re sure Nina isn’t the type to date a guy or not date a guy because of his star power, but with the way her last relationship publicly imploded, it must a nice confidence boost to be tied to an up-and-coming heartthrob like Powell.
In case you missed it, Dobrev and Somerhalder were romantically involved for several years, and TVD fans obsessed over their real-life romance as much as – if not more than – their onscreen love affair.
The relationship ended in ugly fashion, and Somerhalder got married to Nikki Reed (a former friend of Dobrev’s) not long after he and Nina parted ways.
Shortly after Somerhalder and Reed got engaged, Dobrev quit The Vampire Diaries, and, many believe, doomed the show to cancelation.
(In fairness, even diehard fans admit the show’s quality has dropped off precipitously in recent years.)
Dobrev has denied quitting the show as a result of her history with Somerhalder, but those in the know say she’s just covering her tracks.
“The real reason she quit was because she couldn’t stand to see costar Ian with another woman,” one insider said at the time.
“Seeing them together made it not fun to come to work at all.”
So it’s noble of Nina to come back to the show for one last go-round for the sake of the fans and her former co-stars.
We’re not saying the opportunity to throw her new relationship in Somerhalder’s face made the decision easier – but it probably didn’t hurt.
Watch The Vampire Diaries online to get caught up for the series finale.