Derek Hough Met Girlfriend Nina Dobrev Through His Sister

Derek Hough has a new girlfriend in Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev, and he has his sister to thank for the hook-up.

Former Dancing with the Stars pro Julianne Hough had become close with Dobrev recently, and brought her brother Derek along during some of hang-outs. As the two spent time together, sources say a deeper relationship grew.

“[Nina] was hanging a lot with Derek’s sister Julianne,” a source told Us Weekly. “Then she fell for him.”

Dobrev is fresh off a three-year relationship with fellow Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder.

Dobrev originally said she had no intention of dating a co-star because she wanted to remain professional, but fell for Somerhalder.

“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,” she told Seventeen magazine in September.

Sources say Dobrev has now found that same connection with Derek Hough. Last week she posted a picture with Derek to her WhoSay account, along with the caption: “Those of us touched by your light got to watch you brighten up the rest of the world. Keep shining!”

Nina Dobrev seems pretty good at breaking her own relationship rules. After vowing not to date a co-worker and then hooking up with Somerhalder, she went against her idea of spending some solo time to spark a relationship with Derek Hough.

“I’ve been a relationship girl and I’ve been in long-term relationships my whole life until this point, so I think I’m looking forward to spending some time with myself and finding myself again,” she told Us Weekly in August. “I’m just discovering different sides of me and growing and then I’ll figure out what I like in a man when I see it.”

Derek Hough seems all in on the relationship as well. A source close to the couple said he is “smitten” with new girlfriend Nina Dobrev.