Nina Dobrev: I Fought Attraction to Ian Somerhalder "for a Really, Really Long Time"

USMagazine, Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 6:00pm (PDT)

Nina Dobrev's romance with Vampire Diaries costar Ian Somerhalder didn't blossom overnight.

The actress, 23, appears on the October cover of Seventeen, where she laughs about once proclaiming she would never date a fellow Vampire Diaries star.

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"The first time I was on the cover of Seventeen, the cover line said, 'Nina: Why She Wouldn't Date Any of Her Costars.' And then cut to two years later. . ." Dobrev tells the magazine. "It's funny that I said that, but you know what? It was honestly what I believed at the time."

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According to Dobrev, "I didn't want to be dating one of my costars -- 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."

Her nearly two-year relationship with Somerhalder, 33, aside, Dobrev has also grown close to several other Vampire Diaries cast members, including Kat Graham, 23, Candice Accola, 25, and Kayla Ewell, 27.

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"Girls' weekend with the Vampire Diaries girls has become a big deal! It's our quality time. It's so much fun to unload and not feel guilty complaining or talking about your insecurities or bonding over things that you thought you were on your own about," Dobrev tells Seventeen. "When we get there, we go to dinner or cook dinner together, watch movies, lie on the beach, and take tons of pictures."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Nina Dobrev: I Fought Attraction to Ian Somerhalder "for a Really, Really Long Time"