TV writer finally clears up rumours that Nina Dobrev and The Vampire Diaries' co-stars were arrested for ‘flashing drivers’

It’s been over a decade since The Vampire Diaries first hit our screens, but one showrunner has finally addressed a rumour about the supernatural teen drama.

Just as the first season was about to drop, several cast members were reportedly arrested for ‘flashing’ motorists in Georgia.

However, series writer Carina Adly Mackenzie has revealed what actually happened on that fateful night in 2009.

At the time, TMZ claimed that four cast members had been arrested in Smar, Georgia, after they’d ‘flashed motorists’ and were seen ‘hanging’ from a bridge.

This included Sara Canning, Kayla Ewell, Candice Accolla and lead actor Nina Dobrev - who played Katherine Pierce and Elena Gilbert in the hit CW series.

It went on to state that photographer Tyler Shields had also been arrested and even paid $4000 (£3179.40) in fines after the incident on Interstate 75.

Rather than driving a stake through the heart of this story, mugshots of the cast later emerged online - which only added fuel to the fire.

The CW

With this happening around the series premiere, fans of the Vampire Diaries became obsessed with the story which has been widely discussed on Reddit forums ever since.

Just like vampires though, the reality is a bit more mundane.

Although the group were arrested and a bond was paid, it turns out the group had just been taking photographs together.

In fact, a writer on the series has explained what happened under the cover of darkness and it's pretty tame actually.

Responding to a post about the incident on Twitter, series writer Carina Adly Mackenzie told fans that it had actually been a major misunderstanding.

Monroe County Sheriff Department

She told fans: “Okay I’m saying it. They were doing a photo shoot (not for TVD, just for a photographer friend) on the bridge.”

“The “flashing” reported by drivers was A CAMERA FLASH and it was misinterpreted by the officer.

“The misunderstanding was cleared up and everybody went home.”

Understandably, you might be wishing there was a little more bit to this story but even the fact that people were ‘hanging’ from the bridge is allegedly untrue.

Contrary to the police report, she then claimed: “Similarly, they weren’t hanging FROM the bridge, but HANGING OUT ON the bridge.”

“It maybe wasn’t SUPER safe, but they weren’t maniacs. Nina & Sara had JUST gotten their work visas to do TVD in the US. They were very aware that breaking laws could get them literally deported.”

For those who aren’t aware, Dobrev is originally from Bulgaria and emigrated to Canada as a kid – with Canning also being from The Great White North.

Well, that's one rumour put to bed.