'Vampire Diaries' Rumors: Is Ian Somerhalder Quitting Show After Nina Dobrev Drama?

Earlier this year, fans of The Vampire Diaries were shocked to see that Nina Dobrev, who starred as Elena since the show started, was quitting the show to pursue other projects.  Numerous reports claimed this drama was due to her past relationship with Ian Somerhalder and his recent marriage to Nikki Reed.  Now, new rumors claim he could be leaving the show before it sinks.

According to The Inquisitr, the show, once one of the biggest in The CW lineup, has been struggling with ratings ever since Dobrev departed at the end of the past season, so it seems Somerhalder is getting ready to jump ship as well before what appears to be imminent cancellation.

For the past few weeks, there have been numerous rumors saying that the Vampire Diaries set has become awkward in the months since Dobrev walked away, as most of the crew sides with her instead of Somerhalder, preferring her to come back than to have him still on the show.

Dobrev has denied rumors that Somerhalder's marriage had anything to do with her quitting the show, saying instead that she had just grown tired of the gig and wanted to try different things; these days, she's even moved on to a new boyfriend, Austin Stowell, but that hasn't stopped rumors.

However, Celebrity Dirty Laundry reports that there may be more to the story than just poor ratings: months after Somerhalder tied the knot with new love Reed, it appears like their marriage isn't in the best place, with rumors circulating regarding a major difference in opinions.  The Lost hunk wants to have children right away, while his new wife wants to wait.

It seems like Somerhalder's fate on the show will depend on his Twilight actress wife.  If she changes her mind soon about having children in the immediate future, the actor wants to quit the show and focus on being a full-time dad.