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Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White proposed to actress Nina Dobrev in late October 2024, marking a milestone in their five-year relationship. The proposal, revealed exclusively to Vogue, showcased White's meticulous planning and creative ingenuity.
White, 38, orchestrated an elaborate ruse, having his team craft a convincing invitation for what Dobrev believed would be an exclusive CFDA/Vogue dinner with Anna Wintour. "He made the invite look so legitimate," Dobrev, 35, told Vogue, describing her complete surprise upon arriving to find only White and a photographer present.
The engagement ring, a masterpiece by celebrated jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, features a stunning five-carat diamond. "I went into shock. I just froze and stared at him," Dobrev recalled of the moment White presented the ring beneath an arch of white roses.
Their romance, which began in 2019, blossomed from an unexpected encounter at a Tony Robbins event in Florida, seven years after their first brief meeting at an awards show. The couple's relationship strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic, with White telling PEOPLE in early 2022, "Nina's just been so supportive and so amazing through this whole process for me. Through the pandemic, she was a lifesaver."
This engagement celebration reflected their playful nature, as the couple complemented their champagne and caviar with takeout dumplings and Shake Shack. White joked to Vogue, "Eventually we realized — other than the caviar — we hadn't eaten anything."
Their journey together has included significant milestones, including White's emotional retirement from competitive snowboarding at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he placed fourth in the halfpipe. Dobrev's touching Instagram tribute at the time called him "the G.O.A.T. of snowboarding" and "the Greatest Boyfriend Of All Time."
Dobrev posted, "RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé," while White simply shared, "She said YES." Their engagement represents not just a personal triumph but the union of two accomplished individuals who found love beyond their respective spotlights.
