Torrey DeVitto is sharing that stepping away from “The Vampire Diaries” after her divorce from costar Paul Wesley was a “really dark time.”
On Monday’s episode of Rachel Bilson’s “Broad Ideas” podcast, DeVitto said that the divorce left her with zero desire to continue appearing on the show. Wesley, however, remained on the series until it ended in 2017 after eight seasons.
“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,’” DeVitto said. “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.”
The “Chicago Med” star played Dr. Meredith Fell in the fantasy series from 2012 to 2013. She was married to Wesley, who starred as Stefan Salvatore, from 2011 to 2013.
DeVitto admitted that she wasn’t prepared for the intense attention their brief marriage would garner after it ended, calling the scrutiny “mortifying.”
“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?’” she shared.
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HuffPost has reached out to Wesley’s reps for comment.
DeVitto told hosts Bilson and Olivia Allen that fans “glamorized” Wesley’s character in the CW series despite the fact they didn’t know him in real life.
Following the pair’s divorce, DeVitto found love with fiancé Jared LaPine. The two got engaged in September 2023 and are expecting their first child together.
Wesley, meanwhile, also dated “Vampire Diaries” actor Phoebe Tonkin before marrying Ines de Ramon in 2019. The two split in 2022, however. Since then, he has been romantically linked to model Natalie Kuckenburg.
Watch DeVitto’s full interview below.