Nina Dobrev and Zac Efron continued to fuel romance rumors over the weekend as they vacationed on a luxury yacht off Sardinia with a close-knit group of friends, days after Dobrev confirmed she had ended her engagement to Olympic snowboarder Shaun White. Eyewitness accounts describe the duo sharing warm glances and easy banter as they stood close on deck, took in the Mediterranean air and watched the sun dip toward the horizon. Those aboard noted that Dobrev wore a bikini and sarong while Efron wore tight, damp swim trunks and sunglasses, with the pair moving in a relaxed, flirtatious rhythm that fueled ongoing speculation about a possible rebound.
The two were part of a larger party that included Gossip Girl alum Chace Crawford and his girlfriend, model Kelsey Merritt, alongside Miles Teller and his wife, Keleigh Sperry. They spent the day sunbathing, swapping stories, and taking turns in the water as the yacht glided along the Italian coastline. By late afternoon, the group’s mood shifted toward conversation and laughter, with Nina cutting a stylish figure in a strapless floral dress as the sun began to set. Zac wore a white, short-sleeve button-down shirt paired with olive trousers, his ash-blonde hair tucked under a cap, and he shielded his eyes with sunglasses as he chatted with Dobrev. The moment captured a relaxed, convivial dynamic among the friends as they soaked up the scenery.
In this social arc, the pair’s on-deck chemistry has kept fans speculating about the nature of their relationship. The sightings follow a flurry of tabloid attention over the past year, including reports that Dobrev and her fiancé Shaun White had called off their engagement last week. A source cited by People described the split as mutual and grounded in mutual respect and support rather than acrimony, with both parties moving forward independently while maintaining goodwill toward one another. While insiders have offered competing narratives about whether a romance is blooming, no agency has confirmed a dating relationship between Dobrev and Efron beyond these weekend sightings.
The weekend trip also comes amid previously reported details about Dobrev and White. Us Weekly cited sources saying they both wanted a family at one point, while another insider suggested the couple remained committed to exploring their future together before ultimately deciding to part ways. Dobrev and White had publicly celebrated milestones during their relationship, including a now widely reported engagement last October after White proposed with a five-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring. Dobrev described the engagement and wedding plans as exciting, noting how they balanced demanding schedules with weekly date nights during certain periods of their relationship. Those public accounts provided context for fans who are watching the post-engagement chapter unfold with new relationship chatter.
For his part, Efron’s dating history has been a focus of media attention in recent years. His last high-profile public romance was with Australian model Vanessa Valladares in 2020–2021, a relationship that began in Byron Bay and drew wide coverage before they ultimately parted ways. He has since kept a relatively low profile regarding romantic commitments, aside from occasional sightings with friends or colleagues at industry events. In the Sardinia trip, Efron’s presence alongside familiar faces from both film and television—Crawford and Teller among them—heightens the sense that the weekend was as much about family and friendship as it was about romance speculation.
As the Mediterranean voyage continues, observers will likely watch to see whether the weekend’s close interactions translate to a formal confirmation of a romantic pairing—or simply remain a high-profile example of friends enjoying one summer escape in Europe. In the here and now, the individuals involved have left room for interpretation, while continuing to share moments that keep fans watching for any new clues about Nina Dobrev and Zac Efron’s relationship status.