The Vampire Diaries actress revealed that she fought initial urges to develop feelings for Somerhalder because she wanted to be professional on set.
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In an interview with Seventeen magazine, she said: "The first time I was on the cover of Seventeen, the cover line said 'Nina - Why she wouldn't date any of her co-stars'.
"It's funny that I said that, but you know what? It was honestly what I believed at the time."
Dobrev added: "I didn't want to be dating one of my co-stars - my goal on the show was to be professional.
"But sometimes you can't help who you have a connection with, and you can only fight it for so long - which I did for a really, really long time."
