Torrey DeVitto made a resolute decision to steer clear of 'The Vampire Diaries' after her divorce from Paul Wesley. The beloved 'Pretty Little Liars' alum, who portrayed Dr. Meredith Fell in the hit supernatural drama's third and fourth seasons, was once married to Wesley, who starred as Stefan Salvatore, from 2011 to 2013. However, in a recent episode of Rachel Bilson's 'Broad Ideas' podcast, DeVitto revealed that she endured a profound period of darkness following their split.
"It was a public ordeal," she confessed. "It was my first time enduring such scrutiny. Because he was on a wildly popular show, it drew a significant amount of attention." Consequentially, DeVitto acknowledged her reluctance to continue working with Wesley on 'The Vampire Diaries' post-divorce.
"I was a part of the show, but only for six episodes," she reminisced. "And once we were parting ways, I thought, 'Nope, I'm not going back there.'" She continued, "I'm not the kind of person who believes in the 'it's just business' mindset. No, I didn't want to return. I was content with my decision."
"That garnered an unexpected level of attention that I wasn't prepared for," the 'Chicago Med' actress added, referring to the heightened public scrutiny surrounding their divorce. "And for a few years, every man I dated afterwards, people would just say, 'He's so beneath him. He'll never be Wesley. How could you?'"
DeVitto described the public scrutiny as "embarrassing" because fans had "glamorized" Wesley's character on 'The Vampire Diaries,' without actually knowing him. Wesley and DeVitto tied the knot four years after meeting on the set of 'Killer Movie' in 2007. The couple separated two years later.
The 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' actor later dated Phoebe Tonkin, who also portrayed Hayley Marshall on 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals.' He then married Ines de Ramon but their union also dissolved in 2022. Wesley has recently been romantically linked to model Natalie Kuckenberg. Meanwhile, DeVitto is currently engaged to Jared LaPine, and they eagerly await the arrival of their first child together.
