‘Vampire Diaries’ stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder go public with their relationship

‘Vampire Diaries’ stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder go public with their relationship Image April Chieffo 'The Vampire Diaries' stars were hand-in-hand on the red carpet .Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev attend the CW Network's 2011 Upfront at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 19, 2011 in New York City…..

The Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder have been dating under the radar for a year. But it wasn’t until Sunday night at the MuchMusic Video Awards that they acknowledged their relationship.

According to Us Weekly, the couple arrived hand-in-hand on the red carpet, where Somerhalder, 32, expressed excitement over seeing his girlfriend on the show.

"Who am I most excited to see tonight? Nina Dobrev!" he said. Dobrev, however, didn’t have a similar answer, as she was excited to see Selena Gomez host.

Dobrev, who walked out onstage alone to present an award, was then accompanied by Somerhalder to talk about their hit show.

Dobrev, who plays Elena and Katherine, and Somerhalder, who plays Damon, complimented each other, but they were talking in terms of their characters in The Vampire Diaries.

“Are you saying he’s both cold and hot?” Dobrev, 22, asked host Selena Gomez about Somerhalder’s character. “That would make him lukewarm. He’s hot, right guys?”

Gomez then asked Somerhalder who Dobrev is really like: Elena or Katherine.

“There’s a little of her in both of them… except she’s not a bitch like Katherine,’ he responded.

With their visible playfulness onstage, a source assures to Us Weekly they are “the real deal.”

‘Vampire Diaries’ stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder go public with their relationship