Zac Efron’s Romantic History: From First Loves To Secret Flings

After all that he’s accomplished, it’s wild to look back and realize that Zac Efron was introduced to Hollywood as a teen hunk. The actor, now 32, skyrocketed to fame after his breakout role as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical Disney trilogy. Ever since the first film debuted in 2006, fans have loved seeing Zac’s career blossom, as he takes on roles in musicals, dramas, comedies, and more.

But while his acting career is fascinating to follow, fans have also loved staying in-the-know about the leading ladies in Zac’s personal life! From rumored flings to longtime girlfriends, Zac’s romantic history has piqued his fans’ interest for years. Now, we’re taking a look back at his romances over the course of his career!

Vanessa Hudgens

Zac and his HSM co-star Vanessa Hudgens seemed like a match made in Disney darlings heaven! The two starred as a love interests in the HSM films and their onscreen chemistry was even more palpable when the cameras weren’t rolling. The pair met while filming the first HSM in 2005 and by 2007 were a hot young item in Hollywood.

As filming continued on the HSM sequel and the final film, released in theaters in 2008, Zac and Vanessa continued their romance. Zac even played Vanessa’s love interest in the music video for her 2007 single “Say Ok.” The two continued to put up a united front well into the late 2000s, but by December 2010, the two called it quits. While they have each moved on, it’s fairly unclear whether or not their breakup was completely amicable. The two have kept their distance from one another despite all the years they spent together.

Sami Miro

After his years-long romance with Vanessa, Zac dated model Sami Miro. Unlike his previous relationship, this couple kept the details of their relationship close to their hearts, but appeared at a number of events together over the course of their two-year courtship. The pair started dating in 2014 and kept their love fairly low-profile.

However, after less than two years together, the former couple called it quits in April 2016, around the time that Zac was filming Baywatch. With his star rising, it seems that spending months at a time away on film sets may have led to the split. The pair never rekindled their romance, either.

Alexandra Daddario

Speaking of Baywatch, rumors swirled around Zac’s co-star, Alexandra Daddario, that the beauty was involved with the actor while they were filming! The pair met on the set of the film adaptation of the popular TV series in 2016 (the film was later released in 2017). Fans freaked seeing the onscreen love interests together, and Zac nearly confirmed their relationship when he left a flirty comment on one of Alexandra’s Instagram posts in 2018!

One month later, however, Alexandra denied that she and Zac were romantically linked. “We’re very good friends. Zac and I’ve worked together, and we’re very good friends,” she told People. But a source close to the pair shared with HollywoodLife that the two just wanted to keep things as private as possible — they didn’t even tell their co-stars about their romance!

Lily Collins

If it feels like there’s a pattern forming with Zac’s love life, then you wouldn’t be wrong. Fans thought for sure that Zac was linked to another one of his co-stars when he was seen out and about with Lily Collins. The two starred in the 2019 Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile where they played real life people Liz Kendall (Lily) and notorious murderer, Ted Bundy (Zac).

The film was, as the title would suggest, shocking, as it chronicled the relationship between Liz and Ted. During the time of filming and even when Zac and Lily were promoting the film, fans continued to wonder whether the stars of the film were, in fact, in a relationship themselves. They were spotted holdings hands in Disneyland in 2013, leading fans to believe that their reunion on set caused sparks to fly again. Unfortunately, it all seemed to be an incredibly professional relationship, with the two making red carpet appearances together and more.

Sarah Bro

By 2019, it seemed like Zac was stepping away from dating co-stars and shifting his personal life to become more and more private. That’s why fans had many questions when it was rumored he started dating Sarah Bro. The Danish swimmer and actor were first linked when they were seen at a fitness class together in Los Angeles in March of that year.

Sarah remains an incredibly fit athlete, known for her swimming career and her passion for science. There wasn’t too much hype about this might-be couple following their sighting in March 2019. Still, fans wonder about this talented young woman and the actor she potentially dated!

Halston Sage

It wasn’t long until it seemed that Zac was once again linked to a co-star! In early 2020, it appeared that Zac was back with his Neighbors co-star Halston Sage. The two met on the film set in 2014, and rumors swirled that the pair were more than just co-stars.

In January 2020, it was reported that the two were back together following their 2014 fling and this time they were getting serious. The romance, however, seemingly fizzled out. As it would happen, Zac has a new lady in his life!

Vanessa Valladares

Fast forward to today, and Zac essentially confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Valladares. The Byron Bay local and actor met at a restaurant where Vanessa was waitressing during Zac’s stay in Australia. Zac recently extended his tourist visa to the gorgeous continent, leading many fans to believe that his romance with Vanessa had something to do with the decision.

The two were even seen holding hands on September 7, with the pictures illustrating that Zac is, once again, off the market! Not too much is known about Vanessa quite yet, beyond her stunning model photos on her IG, and these recent snapshots with Zac. We cannot wait to see their romance blossom.