By Margaret Joel
STAFF WRITER

Last month on Instagram, Nina Dobrev, popular for starring as Elena Gilbert on The CW’s hit show The Vampire Diaries, announced that she would be leaving her character behind after six seasons.

Nina Dobrev poses with her The Vampire Diaries cast mates, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, in a photo from season 6.
Photo Credit: HitFlix

In her post, Dobrev wrote, “Dearest TVD Family, I’ve just spent the most beautiful weekend on Lake Lanier in Georgia with my own TVD 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.”

She went on to explain how wonderful her fan support had been throughout her time with the show, and how there was much more to come before she wrapped up on the season six finale.

The Vampire Diaries’s producer, Julie Plec, recently weighed in on the news of Dobrev’s exit by saying exclusively to Us Weekly, “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.”

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on the CW, and the season finale is sure to be bittersweet for fans everywhere.