Millions of hearts broke when confirmation that Nina Dobrev was leaving "The Vampire Diaries" was released by the brunette beauty herself.
The Bulgarian actress posted a photo of herself hugging the CW show's executive producer Julie Plec on Instagram along with a long letter for her "TVD" family.
She revealed that her retreat with the cast and crew on Lake Lanier in Georgia wasn't just a simple get together. It was, in fact, a goodbye party for her.
The 26-year-old had been playing Elena Gilbert (as well as doppelganger Katherine Pierce) since the first season.
Rumors about the reason behind Nina Dobrev leaving "The Vampire Diaries" started cropping up despite the actress clearing it out in her Instagram letter.
"I always knew I wanted Elena's story to be a six season adventure, and within those six years I got the journey of a lifetime," she said but fans of the show still speculated that it was because of her romantic past with co-star Ian Somerhalder who plays her on-screen love interest, Damon Salvatore.
Another co-star spoke up about the issue, however, defending Dobrev's decision.
According E! News, Michael Malarkey (who plays vampire Enzo) knew the announcement was going to generate a lot of speculations.
"Like, 'Oh, is she leaving because of this and that.' People just needs to stop reading tabloids!" he pointed out while laughing.
"Everybody has different reasons for doing what they want to do, but in this business, it's very important to know when it is your particular time to move on and she's grown up on this show," he continued.
"She was 20 years old when she started it and now she's 26. I think it's exactly the right thing for her to do, in someone in her position in this business."
Malarkey also added that he's "very, very happy she's moving on." That doesn't change the fact that they'll miss her though.
"I think she's doing the right thing and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next," he said.
Do you think Nina Dobrev leaving "The Vampire Diaries" is the best choice for her?
