Never ForgetZac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens: Complete Relationship and Breakup Timeline

How did Zac and Vanessa meet?

Fans have Disney Channel to thank for bringing these two together. Zac told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that the moment he was paired with Vanessa in his HSM audition, it changed everything.

“My mom dropped me off out of a minivan somewhere in North Hollywood. I had no idea what to expect. There were about 40 guys, and we walked in, and [director] Kenny Ortega was there with a piano, and they put everybody in a room together,” Zac recalled at the time. “We ran through different phases of what we would need to do — first dancing, then singing — and a few of us got tapped on the shoulder [to leave], and I didn’t. And next came the scene-reading sections, and I got paired with Vanessa Hudgens.”

Sparks instantly flew, according to the actor himself.

Did Zac and Vanessa ever get engaged?

Although there was a rumor that circulated online in 2009 that the Baywatch star had actually popped the question to the brunette beauty while they were on a trip to Japan together, it turned out not to be true. Vanessa shut down the rumor while talking to People at the time.

“I think [marriage and starting a family] is great, but I’m so focused on my career right now that it doesn’t really cross my mind,” she said.

How long did Zac and Vanessa date for?

It’s unclear exactly when Zac and Vanessa made things official, but it was definitely sometime during the filming of the HSM movies, with the first being shot in 2005. The pair split five years later in 2010.

Why did Zac and Vanessa break up?

Despite appearing to have the perfect relationship to the public eye, Zac and Vanessa had their fair share of rocky moments.

“I remember one time we did have a fight and it was while we were at rehearsals, and I remember Kenny Ortega coming around the corner with the most concerned look on his face like, ‘Oh no, is our movie going to fall apart right?'” Vanessa recalled on the “Awards Chatter” podcast.

Fortunately, their argument didn’t cause the HSM franchise to go up in flames, and instead, Vanessa explained how she was able to move past that fight and continue as professionals.

“I pride myself on being a professional,” the actress continued. “So I was like that aside we are going to move forward and do what we need to do … and we sorted it all out. I think because I was so young, I think that relationship stabilized me.”

While speaking to The New York Times in 2015, the former Disney star also admitted that jealousy had a major role in their split.

“I went through a phase when I was really mean because I was so fed up. Girls were running after him, and I was giving them death stares. Then I realized that’s not what that’s about. ‘Spread the love, be a good person, they support you, be nice,'” she explained.

Are Zac and Vanessa still friends?

The former flames don’t talk anymore. In 2014, Zac admitted that he and his ex weren’t in touch, however, he did say something short and sweet about her.

“She was a really interesting, sweet person,” he said.

As for Vanessa, she was awkwardly asked during an Access Hollywood Live interview in 2017 if she still sings karaoke with Zac like their characters did in the first movie on that fateful New Year’s Eve party. “Oh yeah no, that’s not a thing that happens. No, I completely lost contact with him,” she said.

She also told Cosmopolitan in January 2020 that she hadn’t “seen Zac or spoken to him in years.”

In January 2021, Vanessa shared a meme featuring Zac on Instagram, and fans freaked out!

Do Vanessa and Zac regret their relationship?

Just because their relationship ended many years ago, that doesn’t mean they don’t still think about it from time to time. In fact, The Princess Switch star explained in April 2019 that her romance with The Greatest Showman actor was pretty important during that time in her life.

“It started off really organically,” she said. “I could not have been more grateful to have that relationship at the time. … It was this massive phenomenon and [all] eyes were on me. And it’s just a really weird foreign thing to go through, and by being in a relationship, it kind of kept me stabilized and grounded, and I had someone to lean on who was going through it as well.”

In 2015, when Vanessa was starring on Broadway in the show Gigi, she was asked during an interview what she remembers most about her first love. And while she didn’t drop any names about who she was referring to, it’s safe to assume that she was reflecting on her romance with Zac — and she had nothing but positive things to say about it!

“First love is so exciting, you kind of fall head over heels and it’s one of those things that it becomes the most important thing in the world, that’s all you think about. It’s a beautiful thing. Love is wonderful,” she recalled.

Vanessa also revealed on the The Zach Sang Show in 2017 that she has zero regrets about her time as a Wildcat, and that includes her romance with her former costar.

“[HSM] is like home videos almost for the entire world to watch, except not, because it’s way more coordinated and put together more than a home video would ever be, but I’m like a baby [in it],” she explained. “Everything that I’ve done career-wise, personal-life-wise, has gotten me to be the person that I am today and I love the person that I am today so I wouldn’t change a thing. The hard things, the happy things, the fun things, everything has really molded me and I’m really grateful for all it.”

Will Zac and Vanessa ever get back together?

They’ve both moved on with other people! Vanessa dated Austin Butler for nine years until they split in January 2020.

As for Zac, he’s actually been linked to a ton of girls over the years! It’s been reported that Zac was romantically involved with Lily Collins, Halston Sage, Michelle Rodriguez, Sami Miró, Alexandra Daddario, Sarah Bro and more in the past. Most recently, Zac started dating model Vanessa Valladares after they met in Australia in June 2020.