The Truth About Ian Somerhalder And Nikki Reed's Relationship

Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are the definition of the perfect Hollywood couple. The pair — who shares daughter Bodhi Soleil Reed Somerhalder — started dating in 2014 (per Us Weekly), and their romance quickly blossomed from there. From flaunting their love in public to cozying up with their dogs on Instagram, the duo couldn't get enough of one another. So much so, Somerhalder popped the question six months later in January 2015, as Us Weekly confirmed at the time.

"They were friends before, the groundwork has been laid before. They had always been attracted to each other, but always in another relationship," a source told Us Weekly. "It may seem quick, but they knew it was right. They believe in the same things. They are dedicated to their work and helping others." Soon after, the two secretly tied the knot in April 2015 in Malibu, Calif. "in front of all of their family and friends," Brides reported.

Since then, these Hollywood stars have been spotted packing on the PDA on vacation or at industry events, and they later welcomed their baby girl into the world in July 2017. So, what is Somerhalder and Reed's relationship really like? Let's take a look.

It's not entirely clear how Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed met, but they do share a mutual friend: actress Nina Dobrev. Somerhalder — who starred opposite Dobrev in The Vampire Diaries — dated Dobrev from 2010 to 2013 before he was spotted with Reed, per Insider.

Naturally, it might be weird to date your friend's ex, but in this situation, Dobrev insisted things were just fine between her and the pair. In fact, when a fan asked Dobrev if it was "weird" to be friends with the couple during an episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in January 2019, she replied, "I don't think that's weird at all. I think that's great. Why can't everyone be friends?"

"I think that they have a beautiful baby, and they are happy and so am I," the CW star added. "What's bad about that? I don't see any problem with that."

In February 2017, Reed acknowledged the rumors about her and Dobrev and wrote a lengthy statement about their friendship on Instagram. "So here's to putting an end to all those fake stories of on set jealousy, betrayal, made-up friendships lost & women hating women... Let's shift what we put into the universe starting now, & hopefully we will start to see a shift in the way we treat each other & view ourselves," she wrote.

It's a no-brainer as to why Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder get along so well, since the two quickly bonded over their love for animals and the environment. The couple — who are parents to dogs, cats, and horses — certainly have their hands tied with their daughter, but it seems like their fur babies are a great addition to their family, too. "[Being around animals] forms who you become, because it does one thing that gives you something that you can't be taught — compassion," Somerhalder told PopCulture.com in 2018.

The Vampire Diaries alum noted "compassion for something cannot be taught," but you can "learn these things by having animals in your life from very, very, very early on." He added, "I've seen it with myself. I've seen it with my daughter. I see it with everyone in my family, including my wife."

Another common interest? Reed and Somerhalder both love being outside. "I think that's part of what Ian and I connected on the most when we got together," Reed told People in 2018. "In fact, was how much we love to just strip it all away and be in nature. We probably spent 100 days out of 365 in our Airstream camping."

Despite Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed being celebrities, the two march to the beat of their own drum. Case in point: After their daughter, Bodhi, was born in July 2017, the couple decided to "take the baby's first month for ourselves," she told Parents in August 2017.

"After the baby arrives, we're doing one month of silence," Reed explained. "Just the three of us, no visitors, and we're turning off our phones too, so there's no expectation for us to communicate."

The Hollywood stars also "waited months" to tell "friends and family that [they] were expecting." Reed added, "It started out with us not knowing how long we'd keep it private. Then it started to feel like we had this really cool thing, a secret with just each other. The downside was that I had moments of wishing I could do things other pregnant mamas were doing. But the upside was that we started the journey without having to open up about it to anyone else, and that made it special."

Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder have both starred in movies and television revolving around vampires — he was in The Vampire Diaries while she was in Twilight — but would the two work together at some point? Well, they actually have on Netflix's series V Wars, and the actor couldn't help but gush about the "amazing" experience. "Initially, the producers wanted her to play my wife, and she said, 'No, I appreciate that,' but she wanted to play something that was more unexpected, and she did and crushed it," Somerhalder told Fox News in December 2019.

"She's really a powerhouse, and we are all grateful as producers that she came and really did us a solid favor," he added. "It was amazing being able to watch her and be on set with her because we're so lovey-dovey in life and these characters were sort of at each other a bit."

Somerhalder was also in awe of how much his wife can take on at one time. "So to see her go in ultra-prepared... breastfeeding our baby, making sketches on conference calls, building this company, put it all down, walk onto set, deliver these powerful, nuanced performances, give everyone a hug and leave — you're just like, 'Whoa, what was that?'" he raved. 

Clearly, these two are a match made in Hollywood (and vampire) heaven!