Nina Dobrev's Red Carpet Launch With Shaun White Coincided With Her Ex's Shining Moment

Nina Dobrev and Shaun White first went Instagram official in 2020. However, when it came to red carpets, the twosome was nowhere in sight — until now, that is. 

As a refresher, White and Dobrev were first linked to one another in February 2020. As noted by Glamour, eagle-eyed fans put two and two together when both the actor and the snowboarder posted pictures of themselves in South Africa at the same time. However, they didn't confirm their new relationship until May of the same year, when they both took to their respective Instagram accounts to post pictures of a haircut White received from Dobrev while quarantining together. Since then, White has spoken about his relationship with Dobrev to People. "Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver — she really made that time in my life special," he gushed. 

Gushy sentiments aside, these two took their time when it came to making their inaugural red carpet appearance as a couple. However, perhaps they were simply looking for the right moment ... that is, Dobrev's ex's moment.

The London premiere for "Top Gun: Maverick" was a star-studded affair, to say the least. (When the official Twitter account for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posts pictures of the royals on the red carpet, you know it's a big deal.) It only makes sense, then, that when Nina Dobrev and Shaun White chose to go red carpet official, this would be their first port of call. However, there's just one awkward detail to note here — one of the "Top Gun: Maverick" cast members is Glen Powell. That is, Dobrev's ex-boyfriend. 

As fans will remember, Dobrev and "Scream Queens" actor Powell dated back in 2017. At the time, a source told Us Weekly that the pair was "getting pretty serious." However, in November of the same year, E! News reported that the couple was no longer quite so serious, and when Dobrev was pictured vacationing in Indonesia with Grant Mellon the following year (via Us Weekly), it was clear that she'd moved on. 

Dobrev and White's red carpet appearance at her ex's premiere has all the makings of a very awkward run-in. However, that's not necessarily the case. As noted in the E! News report about Dobrev's split from Powell, theirs seemed to be relatively amicable — and a matter of scheduling. "There hasn't been an official 'split' but Nina and Glen have been taking time apart," a source told the publication at the time. Well, here's hoping everything went smoothly!