Nina Dobrev forced to address Zac Efron dating rumours following viral photo

Nina Dobrev has been forced to come forward and address the Zac Efron dating rumours after a friend of hers uploaded a now-viral photo to social media.

As fans of the 36-year-old The Vampire Diaries actress will know, she recently split up from her 39-year-old Olympic snowboarder fiancé, Shaun White, with PEOPLE confirming the end of their five-year relationship early last month (11 September).

A source close to the former couple, who parted ways less than a year after getting engaged, claimed that it was a 'mutual decision, and wasn’t an easy one, but it was made with love and a deep respect for one another'.

A week later (18 September), Nina's friend Keleigh Teller took to Instagram to share a series of snaps of them together enjoying a trip in Italy.

The internet has run wild with dating rumour speculation regarding Nina Dobrev and Zac Efron (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC / Getty Images)

In one photo, Nina can be seen posing on a boat alongside Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford, his girlfriend Kelsey Merritt, and Keleigh's Top Gun star husband, Miles Teller.

However, it was the inclusion of the 37-year-old High School Musical alum Zac Efron that sent the internet into a right frenzy.

"Now this is a friend right here. Going through a breakup? Lemme put you on a yacht with four of the hottest men I know, all my friends got me was a Ben & Jerry’s pint. It was good, but it wasn’t Zac Efron good," gushed one fan on social media.

A second chimed in: "Keleigh you are a great friend. Getting Nina the vacay away and ensuring she has options out there!! Let’s go! We need friends like this!"

"Has Zac Efron entered the Villa??" quipped a third.

Despite the growing speculation online regarding a possible romance between the two Hollywood A-listers, Nina has since addressed the rumours once and for all.

Nina and her friends, including the HSM star, recently enjoyed a group trip to Italy (Instagram/@keleighteller)

Speaking to TMZ, she denied that the holiday was the start of something new for the pair, shaking her head 'no' at the question that they were dating in a video posted on Wednesday (1 October).

And, when asked if she and Zac were just friends, she confirmed: "Yeah."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower star seems to be in good spirits as she added: "I’m excited for the future and the only thing that’s guaranteed is change."

Neither Nina nor Shaun has addressed the breakup since the news broke back in September.

Tyla has reached out to Nina Dobrev's representatives for further comment.