14 DAY TRIAL // CW’s “The Vampire Diaries” wraps its 6th season in May and will return for a 7th one in the fall, but one member of the principal cast will be absent: Nina Dobrev dropped a major bomb on the fans by announcing on Instagram that this season is also her last.
So there will be no more Elena after the May finale. You can see the actress’ full message to fans in the Instagram post below. The photo was snapped at Lake Lanier in Georgia, where the entire TVD family got together for her going-away party, she explains.
Nina says that she knew from the start that her character would be on only for 6 seasons and that she’s been preparing for the moment she had to say goodbye for some time.
That may not be entirely true; this is showbiz, after all. Deadline reports that Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley’s contracts, as well as hers, were up at the end of season 6, and that negotiations started early to secure the return of all 3.
Ian and Paul signed on for another season, but Nina would not. She was also offered the possibility to remain a recurrent contract, which would have meant more time for her to pursue other projects, but she didn’t consider it good enough. She opted to leave for good.
She got her big break on TVD, and is now a hot commodity on the scene. She fared well in the indie “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and is getting increased attention for her style on red carpet appearances.
To put it bluntly, Nina Dobrev is probably leaving TDV because the grass is greener on the other side.
Dearest TVD Family, I've just spent the most beautiful weekend on Lake Lanier in Georgia with my own TVD Family, the cast and crew of The Vampire Diaries. I want to be the first to tell you that it wasn't just a holiday celebration, it was a goodbye party. 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. I was a human, a vampire, a doppelganger, a crazy immortal, a doppelganger pretending to be human, a human pretending to be a doppelganger. I got kidnapped, killed, resurrected, tortured, cursed, body-snatched, was dead and undead, and there's still so much more to come before the season finale in May. Elena fell in love not once, but twice, with two epic soulmates, and I myself made some of the best friends I'll ever know and built an extended family I will love forever. There's more to come before we wrap this up, and I promise you'll get to hear all about my experiences over the next month as we approach the season finale (I have given an exclusive interview for the June issue of SELF Magazine that I am excited for you to see!), but until then I invite you to hop on the roller coaster ride that is Elena Gilbert's life and join me as I celebrate her and prepare to say goodbye to her -- and to my work family -- as I move on to the next chapter of my life. I want to share this goodbye with all of you (this weekend's pictures were just the beginning). You, the wonderful fandom who gave more love, support and passion than anyone could have ever imagined seven years ago, when a young Degrassi girl from Canada showed up in LA to audition for 'that Twilight TV show.' ;-) I love you all. Fasten your seatbelts. If you think you know what's coming, you don't. Love, Nina A photo posted by Nina Dobrev (@ninadobrev) on Apr 6, 2015 at 5:01pm PDT