Nina Dobrev Is Leaving 'TVD'

UPDATE: According to Deadline, the news is in fact true: Dobrev is leaving The Vampire Diaries . Said creator Julie Plec about the exit: “Saying goodbye to Nina is both bittersweet and beautiful ... After six-plus years together, the entire cast and crew of The Vampire Diaries has reached a level of closeness that I don’t think any of us ever expected. Nina is excited to spread her wings, get some rest, travel the world and also take it by storm, and we support her a thousand-fold. We will miss Nina and the four hundred characters she played, but we look forward to the insane and exciting challenge of continuing to tell stories of our Salvatore Brothers and our much-loved and gifted ensemble.”

Dobrev, for her part, wrote on Instagram: “I’ve just spent the most beautiful weekend on Lake Lanier in Georgia with my ownTVD 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.”

EARLIER: I'll be honest: I didn't have a lot of faith in The Vampire Diaries. All I saw in the then-upcoming CW supernatural series was another show hoping to steal viewers from the Twilight fandom, and since I already had True Blood as my vampire show du jour, I was over it. Of course, that was well before I sunk my teeth into the series and became wholly obsessed with everything TVD. Unfortunately, it looks like the CW series that I know and love could be changing — forever. Rumor has it that star Nina Dobrev may leave The Vampire Diaries and there's a very real chance that this rumor could become reality.

Though The Vampire Diaries is renewed for Season 7, Dobrev has reportedly not signed on for the seventh season. That's not terrible news — she could still be working out a contract or attempting to arrange a schedule prior to committing to another season of the show. But it's not great news, especially considering a new worrying Instagram post from a crew member on the show. The pic, which was taken on Sunday when Dobrev and some other Vampire Diaries cast and crew were hanging out, features a caption with the hashtag "#ninawewillmissyou."

What. The. Frick.

Naturally, Vampire Diaries fans freaked out over the photo, because, well, duh.

I wouldn't be too worried about this Instagram if it were the only clue that Dobrev may be leaving the show. Unfortunately, it's not — according to reports, Dobrev has purchased a home in Los Angeles, and has been taking meetings in the city to expand her career horizons. Then there are those rumors that it's not exactly fun for Dobrev to work with co-star Ian Somerhalder, who recently got engaged to Dobrev's pal Nikki Reed.

It's not a ridiculous move for Dobrev to make, but I can't imagine a Vampire Diaries without her presence. I'm the first one to roll my eyes at her character Elena's incessant crying, but I also know that the series was built around her incessant crying! Nearly everyone in the show's universe is connected in some way through Elena, and without her, I'm not sure what would hold these people together. Would Damon really hang out with Caroline if not for Elena? Would Matt hang out with anyone? I don't want Dobrev to leave, and if she does, I fear it'll be the beginning of the end of the Vampire Diaries all together — and if it's going to end, it should end full circle with Elena.

So don't go, Dobrev. Stay for one more season. Maybe two. I certainly won't complain.

Image: Giphy