While Ian Somerhalder was starring on The Vampire Diaries, fans had no idea that he was facing a major financial crisis.
Thanks to a business deal gone awry, the actor found himself in eight-figure debt and struggling just to get by.
In a candid Instagram post, Ian spoke openly about the situation for the first time, which he credits wife Nikki Reed for getting him through.
"I've never disclosed this publicly, but this woman worked selflessly for two years to build me out of a terrible business situation I got myself into," Ian wrote.
He continued, "I built a company while shooting TVD that was important to me. I invested heavily; I made huge personal guarantees to banks. However, due to greed and fraud within that company and fraudulent activities from our biggest customer, not to mention the temporary collapse of the oil and gas industry — I was left in an EIGHT-FIGURE hole."
Ian added that the situation was "awful" and a "true nightmare," and he spent most of his time traveling in an effort to repay his debt.
Thankfully, when he began dating Nikki, she stepped in to help him resolve the issue in any way that she could.
"She devoted her life to getting me out of that mess, and it almost killed her along the way. I am where I am BECAUSE of this woman...I was able to start my life over because of this woman," Ian added.
He continued, "Needless to say, it’s been the most eye-opening and truly humbling experience. Painful as hell, but as a family, SHE got us through. It’s unreal. I owe her my health, my life, and my sanity."
Ian also noted that he was only able to start his bourbon company, Brothers Bond, because of the work that Nikki put in those two years.
"I honor this woman and appreciate her more than anyone I could ever imagine... You made it possible for me to live, build my dreams, and to start my life over," Ian concluded.
