Nina Dobrev Talks 'Brutal Recovery' As She Walks Without Crutches For The First Time Since Accident

Three months after a bizarre dirt bike accident left her sidelined, actress Nina Dobrev has progressed significantly in her recovery journey.

She was recently seen stepping out with her boyfriend, Shaun White, in Paris without the aid of crutches.

Dubbing the experience her "most brutal recovery," Nina Dobrev opened up about the "excruciating" pain she had to endure, thanking her "friends and incredible support system" for their help.

The "Vampire Diaries" star took to her Instagram account on Sunday to share the news of her recovery with her fans by posting a video and lengthy caption.

In the video post, she narrated what the experience looked like for her from the point when she suffered the accident till when she took her first "baby steps" without assistance.

"Three months today marks my first and last time on an electric dirt bike," Dobrev said in the video. "After losing control and crashing the bike — and a not-so-quick hospital visit — I found out that my ACL had completely torn off, my meniscus was torn through and I had a fracture in my tibial plateau. Not ideal."

In the video, Dobrev can be seen emerging from a plane while explaining that she went home to visit a surgeon but was taken aback when she found out she had to wait for three weeks before the procedure could commence.

The video then panned to a scene where she appeared to be in agony because of the "excruciating" pain she was enduring as doctors drained blood from her knee because of the massive swelling.

The "XXX: Return of Xander Cage" star went further to recount what her experience going under the knife looked like.

The clip showed her in a surgical apron relaxing on the bed as the voice-over noted that she was "pretty anxious" and "nervous" for the D-day because she had "never had a big surgery like this before, so it was really scary."

Dobrev then emerged sitting in a wheelchair as she declared that the surgery was "a success," and she was able to begin physical therapy. At this point, a professional could be seen massaging her leg.

"I'm going to be honest with you guys. The knee was so swollen. I was in so much pain. It was the most brutal recovery that I ever could have imagined," Dobrev explained, adding, "If it wasn't for my friends, and my incredible support system, I don't know how I would have made it through."

In her IG post, Dobrev revealed she was surprised by how draining the surgery and recovery was on mental health.

"There's obviously the physical pain that comes with surgery and recovery, but what I wasn't necessarily prepared for was the mental toll that it would take," the actress said.

Dobrev noted that her immobility and inability to access the bathroom herself or hold a drink was "really challenging," as she's a "very independent" person, and having to rely on others was "really hard" for her.

"This whole experience has tested me physically and mentally but with time, I started making progress. Each day, one step in front of the other, one exercise after the other, one piece of bacon after the other, I got stronger and stronger but it was exhausting at times," Dobrev recalled, adding, "It's crazy how we take very basic things for granted."

Dobrev has always been forthcoming with fans on her recovery journey. The Canadian-born actress stressed her motive for sharing the updates, stating she did it to inspire hope in others.

"A lot of people have been asking how I'm doing, so the reason I made this video is to share my progress and my experience," Dobrev continued. "But I also wanted to show other people that are either going through the same thing or about to go through the same thing that there's a light at the end of the tunnel if you stick to it."

"And try to laugh a little in the process," she added, as she can be seen giggling with White, who appeared to be a major support for her. "It's nature's best medicine."

Dobrev and her three-time Olympic gold medalist boyfriend stepped out for a Louis Vuitton Star-studded party on the eve of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

The actress stunned in a leather jacket and a high-waisted black silk maxi-skirt and paired it with a gold mesh top.

She held a black designer purse and wore her brunette locks down to her shoulders as she posed for pictures with White, who looked dashing in a beige suit.

According to reports, the pair first met at an awards show in 2012 but formally got acquainted at a Tony Robbins workshop in 2019. They went Instagram official in April 2020 and have grown closer since then.

See photos of Dobrev and White at the Louis Vuitton party here.