After breaking up with "Vampire Diaries" co-star Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev said she was going to take it easy and focus on herself, but she might have spoken too soon. "I've been a relationship girl and I've been in long-term relationships my whole life until this point, so I think I'm looking forward to spending some time with myself and finding myself again," she told Us Weekly during "Cosmopolitan's Summer Bash" back in August. "I'm just discovering different sides of me and growing and then I'll figure out what I like in a man when I see it."
Well, it seems that she might have figured it out already because she's reportedly dating none other than her BFF Julianne Hough's brother, Derek Hough. According to some reports from earlier this month, Julianne was eager to see Nina get together with Derek. Julianne is "very protective of Nina and doesn't want to see her with a loser," the reports said. And since she and Derek are incredibly close, Julianne's "super picky" about who he dates. A perfect combination, she might have thought, and made everything possible to make it happen.
"They have known each other for years because she's best friends with his sister Julianne. They've been hanging out more on a one-on-one basis lately, yes, and recently they have started dating," a source told Wetpaint Entertainment. However, things might not be as serious as we thought because the source claims, "They're having fun together for now. That's it." Nevertheless, according to E!, another source says their relationship is already "somewhat serious."
Serious or "just having fun," Nina has made sure to show her admiration towards Derek on all her social media accounts. She showed her fans how proud she was of Hough, 28, after he took home the Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. "@Derekhough !!!!!!!! #EMMYWINNER I cant express in 140 characters how unbelievably excited+incredibly proud I am of you. You deserve this." The next day, she captioned a shot of "Dancing With the Stars" pro with his Emmy with a heartfelt message. "Those of us touched by your light got to watch you brighten up the rest of the world," she wrote. "Keep shining!"
Derek wasn't too shy either and retweeted the sweet message repliying "Your the best babe." And it's because apparently, Hough has similarly fallen head-over-heels for the actress, another insider told Us Weekly. "Derek is smitten with Nina," the source said. "He said he hasn't felt this way for a girl in a long time. ...Everyone approves!" And he might have hinted that things are "serious" when at the Kari Feinstein Emmys Style Lounge on Thursday, Sept. 19, the smooth dancer specifically requested shoes "for his girlfriend" and then "texted Nina for her size," an eyewitness said.
Before the rumors grew stronger, Nina and Derek were spotted at Lollapalooza in Chicago, where they supposedly looked "really into each other." Also, a video shot by a fan circulating on Instagram shows the couple clearly holding hands while attending a performance at the Roosevelt Hotel. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, they were holding hands until a man came up and whispered something in their ears, after which they promptly dropped their arms to their sides.
What do you think? Do Nina and Derek make a cute couple?
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