Shaun White and Nina Dobrev. Scott Kirkland/PictureGroup for/Shutterstock; Christopher Polk/Shutterstock
The Hollywood treatment! Shaun White is continuing his retirement tour with an appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards — but Nina Dobrev won’t be his date.
“I was supposed to go to Europe and meet up with Nina,” the 35-year-old athlete told Extra on Tuesday, March 22 at the iHeartRadio Music Awards of his pre-Oscars plan. “And I was like, ‘Hey, I got asked to do this thing, like, what do you think?’ And she was just, like, ‘You have to [go].’ … She’s like, ‘You have to do it.’”
The retired athlete is set to present at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 27, but he won’t be alone. White revealed that since the Vampire Diaries alum, 33, will be in Europe filming a project, he invited his mom as his date.
“She’ so excited. I tried to, like, screen record her reaction, but the audio didn’t work. The things she said were incredible,” the California native explained, noting that the duo are “rushing to get her dress” ready for the big night.
White and Dobrev, who were first linked in February 2020, have been going nonstop since the former snowboarder’s return from the Beijing Olympics in February. White competed in his fifth and final Winter Games that month, finishing in fourth place in the halfpipe event.
The three-time Olympic gold medalist proceeded to celebrate his achievements in the sport — and his retirement as a professional snowboarder — the following month.
Dobrev toasted her boyfriend during the March 4 retirement party by wearing a red wig as a nod to White’s trademark hairstyle. “Celebrating the 🐐 and bringing back the 👩🏻🦰 one last time … #RetirementPartyAt35 😂,” the Sick Girl actress wrote via Instagram on March 5.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower actress shared a series of photos from the blowout bash, captioning one, “Bring back the flowing locks to celebrate this ‘old guy’ retiring at 35.”
The X Games champion then jetted off to Costa Rica the following week for a much-needed vacation. The Degrassi alum joined him for the trip, which included relaxing by the pool, horseback riding and cocktails with friends.
White kicked off the getaway by sharing his new life motto, inspired by The Lion King. “It means no worries … 🦁 #retired,” the athlete wrote via Instagram on March 9, while wearing a shirt that read, “Hakuna Matata.”
Dobrev commented on the post with the next line of the iconic song from the 1994 Disney film, writing, “For the rest of your days.”
The twosome documented their adventures via social media, including giving fans a glimpse of them climbing trees in the rainforest, kissing on the beach and enjoying the spa.
“S–t, if this is what #RetiredLife looks like … should i retire too? 😜,” the Redeeming Love star joked via social media on March 14, sharing PDA-filled snaps from the romantic excursion.
