The Bulgarian born Canadian actress has been playing Elena Gilbert on the CW drama for the past 6 years, and has now announced she’s leaving the show.

During those 6 years she dated co-star Ian Sommerhalder, her on-screen boyfriend Damon Salvatore. They broke up, and Ian is now engaged to Nikki Reed, although they still play an on-screen couple.

Maybe that had a hand in her decision. In her farewell message, posted on Instagram, she claimed she had always planned for only six years with TVD. The show has been renewed for a 7 th season, so it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

Fellow star Michael Trevino, who plays werewolf Tyler Lockwood, is also leaving; but all the fan tears are reserved for the central-to-the-plot Dobrev.

Read her announcement below….