Shaun White and Nina Dobrev's Sweetest Relationship Quotes Before Split

Shaun White and Nina Dobrev frequently gushed about each other before ending their five-year relationship. “I wish I could sum it up into one or two things,” the Olympian exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022 about exactly made him and the Vampire Diaries alum such a good match. “It’s such a mix of everything.” White and Dobrev were first linked in February 2020 when fans noticed they both shared Instagram posts from the same location in South Africa, each wearing a camera around their neck and striking the same pose. Two years later, White told Us that Dobrev invited him to visit her on set in Africa, which is where their relationship began. “I was like, ‘All right. Yeah. OK,’” he recalled in January 2022 of being game to fly out to see her. “And she [thought], ‘Oh, this guy, he came to play. He’s serious.’” [sendtonews type="float" key="VTgrdiRtzN-2834406-14453"] In October 2024, Dobrev announced the couple's engagement. Nearly one year later, however, Us confirmed in September 2025 that the twosome called it quits. Scroll down for a look back at some of White and Dobrev's sweetest relationship quotes before their split:

The X Games champion celebrated his girlfriend’s birthday via Instagram in January 2021. “Too bad we never have any fun together …” he captioned several shots of the pair in silly, ‘80s-inspired outfits. “Happy birthday baby!”

White may be a five-time Olympian with three gold medals, but he also praised Dobrev’s athletic ability, telling Us in June 2021 that she’s “pretty talented on the snowboard.”

Nine months after the snowboarder wished the Perks of Being a Wallflower star a happy birthday via social media, Dobrev returned the favor, referring to White as “the funniest, most charming, sexiest, and hardest working person I know” in September 2021.

Long-distance relationships can be hard, but White told Us how the two manage to pull it off. “We have a nice little system of how to stay in touch,” he revealed in October 2021. “Plane tickets are pretty much booked for any opportunity that we can go see one another. … I think that’s the goal of it all and the key to it all is just making the time.”

Part of what makes their LDR work, the athlete told Us, is Dobrev’s impressive organizational skills. “She’s super organized and on top of it, so I give it to her,” he said in October 2021. “She always finds a way to make it happen.”

As soon as White made it onto Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, the Canadian actress celebrated via Instagram. “LFG! Beijing babbbbbbbyyy @shaunwhite. So proud of you. Time to celebrate,” she gushed in January 2022.

Even “our dogs get along, you know?” the San Diego native told Us in January 2022, adding that he and Dobrev “have common interests,” like exciting travel.

A couple who communicates together, stays together. “The problems that we do face, they kind of fall away through communication,” White explained to Us in January 2022. “It’s just been great.”

In fact, the athlete couldn’t say anything kinder about Dobrev if he tried. The actress has “this overwhelming kindness and care for people,” he revealed to Us January 2022, explaining that she is “just so supportive” of him. “She wants to elevate the people around her. It’s such a beautiful thing, especially in today’s world. … To have that kind of a caring quality still is really special.”

The Bulgaria-born star waxes just as poetically about her beau, who she called the “G.(B).O.A.T. = Greatest Boyfriend Of All Time."

“I am in awe of you. Today we are celebrating you," she wrote via Instagram in February 2022 after the athlete’s last Olympic run. "Your hard work. Your passion. Your determination. Your talent. Your class. Your fearlessness. Your courage. Your soul. Your heart. YOUR LEGACY. I couldn’t be more proud.”

With the month of February comes Valentine’s Day, and both White and Dobrev let their feelings be known. “Rose’s [sic] are red violets are blue how great is it that I’m still not sick of you. I’m yours no refunds," the CW alum wrote via Instagram in 2022. "Nature finds a way …. Happy Valentine’s Day @Nina ❤️," shared the snowboarder.

During a Today show interview in February 2022, the now-retired athlete revealed that it’s his turn to support his girlfriend, who had been a “powerhouse” of strength for him during the Olympics. She booked a movie overseas, White said, and he can’t wait to travel to visit. “That sounds great. I will support you in that every step of the way,” he joked.

White and Dobrev announced their engagement in October 2024. Before proposing, the athlete had a publicist send Dobrev a fake invitation for an intimate Vogue/CFDA dinner with Anna Wintour at the Golden Swan in New York City, which Nina accepted.

“He made the invite look so legitimate,” Dobrev told Vogue in October 2024, noting that she was “in a panic” about Wintour waiting for her and was shocked to only see White and a photographer in the room when she arrived. “I went into shock. I just froze and stared at him. … He said all the right things.”

After Dobrev said yes, friends and family joined them for a night of celebration.

“Eventually we realized — other than the caviar — we hadn’t eaten anything. So we ordered Shake Shack and dumplings to the Golden Swan,” Dobrev gushed.