Torrey DeVitto Reveals The Real Reason She Didn’t Return To “The Vampire Diaries”

Torrey DeVitto openly discussed her journey after divorcing Paul Wesley and moving on from her role on The Vampire Diaries. Known for playing Dr. Meredith Fell on the hit series, Torrey opened up on Rachel Bilson’s Broad Ideas podcast about the challenges she faced post-divorce and her decision to leave the show.

Torrey and Paul Wesley, who was famed for his role as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, met on the set of Killer Movie in 2007 and married in a private ceremony four years later. However, their marriage ended in 2013, a time Torrey described as “really dark.” 

Reflecting on the public nature of their split, she shared, “It was [public]. It was the first time I did something like that. Because he was on a really big show that was really popular, so it did draw [attention].”

The actress revealed that following their split, she had no interest in returning to The Vampire Diaries. “I was [on it], but I only did like six episodes. And then once we were splitting up I was like, ‘Pfft, not going back there.’ I’m not that kind of person that’s like, ‘Well, this is business, I can stay.’ It’s like, no. I don’t want to come back. I’m good, thank you,” she stated.

The public’s reaction to their divorce was intense, with fans often comparing her subsequent partners unfavorably to Wesley.

As she recalled, “And then it was hard too because for a couple years, anybody that I would date afterwards, people would just [say], ‘He’s so disgusting. He’ll never be [Wesley]. How could you do this?'”

Torrey emphasized that fans glamorized Wesley’s character without truly knowing him.

Despite the scrutiny, Torrey and Wesley managed to remain good friends, as his rep told PEOPLE at the time of their separation. Wesley continued his acting career and relationships, dating his co-star Phoebe Tonkin for four years and later marrying Ines de Ramon, whom he divorced in 2022. He has been dating model Natalie Kuckenberg since November 2022.

Torrey has also moved on and is currently engaged to Jared LaPine, with whom she is expecting her first child. She has previously been romantically tied to her Chicago Med co-star Jesse Lee Soffer, actor Will Estes, and former MLB player David Ross.