Zac Efron's Dating History: From Vanessa Hudgens to Vanessa Valladares (2024)

Zac Efron became an international star and stole hearts everywhere after starring in High School Musical.

The actor famously dated his HSM costar, Vanessa Hudgens, from 2005 to 2010, but since their split, Efron has kept his romantic life a bit more private.

Despite his fame, dating hasn't always come easy to the Hairspray actor.

"Dating is something I'll never be able to do," he told The Sunday Times in 2016. "As in the dictionary definition of dating, because one way or another I've impacted that person's life and they'll soon realize it. A date has to be very long to dispel whatever people think about me."

But even with his challenges in the dating world, he wasn't ready to jump on any apps to help him out. Joking, he added, "Amazingly, when I signed up for Tinder, nobody swiped me! They thought it was fake … That never happened."

From costars to Olympic swimmers, take a look back at Zac Efron's dating history.

Vanessa Valladares

The actor headed Down Under during the COVID-19 pandemic and found romance. In June 2020, he met model Vanessa Valladares while she was working at the Byron Bay General Store & Café in Australia. Though the two were initially believed to be just friends, things quickly turned into something more.

"Zac met Ness earlier in the summer. They started hanging out in July and recently took a ski trip together," a source told PEOPLE in September 2020. "You can tell that they are having fun. She spends a lot of time at this house."

The couple were spotted working out together and even celebrated Efron's birthday in October before calling it quits in April 2021. "Zac broke things off with Vanessa recently," the source told PEOPLE. "It just didn't feel right to him anymore."

But despite the fizzled love match, Efron was set on staying in Australia.

"Zac will still stay in Australia. He just loves Australia so much," the source added. "He is working and busy with several upcoming projects. He is happy, healthy and enjoying life."

Sarah Bro

In March 2019, the 17 Again star was spotted sitting ringside at a UFC fight with Danish Olympic swimmer Sarah Bro in Las Vegas.

The two "looked like they were having a great time," E! News reported at the time, though they were "not overly publicly affectionate."

Alexandra Daddario

Efron and Alexandra Daddario took their romance off the beach in 2017 after playing love interests in Baywatch.

In March 2018, a source told PEOPLE that the former costars had seen each other "on and off since their time working together on the movie last year," though they were not officially an item. The same month, the pair were spotted shopping with their dogs at a Los Angeles pet store.

Despite "not officially dating," Efron wasn't so shy on social media. Daddario posted a photo of herself and her dog staring into each other's eyes, and the actor commented, "Two hot bitches."

"We're very good friends," Daddario told PEOPLE of her costar in May 2018. "Zac and I've worked together, and we're very good friends."

Sami Miró

Model Sami Miró and Efron were linked for nearly two years, starting from September 2014 until they called it quits in April 2016.

In May 2015, Miró explained that she was aware of the internet's obsession with her boyfriend, which was exactly why they kept things private.

"I've never spoken about us before, but, um, it's definitely different," she told Elle. "If I was dating someone who wasn't in the limelight, I might have more photos on [Instagram] of our relationship, but I do think it's important. I mean, it's what is going on in my life, and I think that my social media can still represent that."

However, the pair both posted adorable shout-outs to each other to commemorate their first anniversary in September 2015. The couple kept their day-of plans low-key.

"We kept it very chill, like lots of, lots of just hanging out, keeping it mellow," the model told E!.

Michelle Rodriguez

In 2014, Efron had a summer fling with Fast and the Furious star Michelle Rodriguez. They were first spotted holding hands at the premiere of The Rover on June 12. Later that month, Efron and Rodriguez were seen again enjoying a trip to Italy with friends.

But it became clear they were a little more than friends after they were spotted packing on the PDA on Justin Bieber's yacht in Ibiza.

"They seemed very close and comfortable together," a source told PEOPLE.

Halston Sage

Like some of his other romances, Efron started out as costars with Halston Sage before their relationship turned into something more.

PEOPLE confirmed that the Neighbors castmates began seeing each other in April 2014. The pair were spotted courtside at an L.A. Lakers game the same month, laughing and cheering together.

Though the fling was short-lived between the two, they reportedly gave it another shot in late 2019.

Lily Collins

Efron and Lily Collins were linked years before costarring in 2019's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

In February 2012, Efron and Collins were spotted arriving at an L.A. restaurant for Efron's friend's birthday. "They even walked in holding hands," a source told PEOPLE. "They had a drink at the bar together and then joined the birthday crew on the patio."

The following week, they were seen leaving Soho House in West Hollywood, California, on Valentine's Day.

The last time they were spotted together, before reuniting years later for the Ted Bundy biopic, was in October 2013, when Efron was seen holding hands with Collins on a trip to Disneyland.

Vanessa Hudgens

Sparks flew between Efron and Hudgens from the first time they met. The future couple met in early 2005 while auditioning for High School Musical. Their chemistry landed them the lead roles of love interests Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel Original Movie, and they began dating while filming the first of the franchise.

In the early days of their relationship, the pair kept things low-key. As Hudgens branched off into a solo music career outside of HSM, she all but confirmed her relationship when Efron played her love interest in her "Say Ok" music video in March 2007. A few months later, they began publicly wearing matching silver rings on their right index fingers, which fans speculated could be promise rings. "This is just a ring from a friend I got," Efron insisted. "It's a female friend, but I can't say who because then it would chat-room pandemonium and teen-magazine hysteria."

The couple made their final public appearance as a couple in August 2010. In December of the same year, it was confirmed that Efron and Hudgens had called it quits. A source shared with PEOPLE, "they are 100 percent still good friends."

In March 2011, Hudgens offered some insight into the split and also shared the positive impact it had on her life. "We grew up together," the "Sneakernight" singer said in an interview with Shape. "It was nice to have someone to share all of those experiences with … It was a good thing. The relationship kept me grounded, and because I was with someone who knew me so well, I didn't need to try to be someone I'm not."

However, long-distance proved to be difficult for the couple, who were shooting separate projects when they called it quits. "Long-distance relationships are hard no matter what," she said. "When you don't have face-to-face time, it's just different. Having an iPhone helped, but it just wasn't the same." After her split with Efron, Hudgens dated fellow Disney star Austin Butler from 2011 to 2020.