Zac Efron, Austin Butler, More

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Vanessa Hudgens’ Dating History: Zac Efron, Austin Butler and More

She’s gotta go her own way! Vanessa Hudgens has been linked to a number of Hollywood hunks over the years, from Zac Efron to Austin Butler.

Fans have shown interest in the actress’ love life since her first public relationship with her High School Musical costar Efron. After meeting in 2005 on the set of the Disney Channel Original Movie that made them household names, Hudgens and Efron quickly fell in love and dated until December 2010.

“Right off the bat, we had a connection,” she recalled to Glamour six months before their breakup made headlines. “I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable.”

Efron’s rising star was one of the factors that led to his and the Grease: Live star’s split. In a March 2015 interview with The New York Times, she admitted that she “was really mean” at times in their relationship because “girls were running after him, and I was giving them death stares.”

One year after her separation from the Neighbors star, Hudgens moved on with Butler. Efron, for his part, romanced a slew of actresses including Lily Collins, Michelle Rodriguez and Halston Sage. (He is currently dating Australia native Vanessa Valladares, whom he met in June 2020.)

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Hudgens and Butler fell hard and fast for each other, but they were not in a rush to take the next step in their relationship.

“I want to get married, travel, then have kids — probably in my late 30s. Everyone’s clock is different,” she told Women’s Health in November 2018, gushing that the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor inspired her “more than anyone.”

However, after nearly nine years as a couple, Us Weekly broke the news in January 2020 that the “Say OK” singer and Butler had gone their separate ways.

Later that year, Hudgens revealed what she wanted from her next partner, telling Entertainment Tonight in November 2020, “At the end of the day, it’s just about having similar fundamentals and wanting the same things. … If someone comes into the picture and can give me all those things, then great. It doesn’t matter if they’re in the public eye or not — if anything I prefer them not to be, but we’ll see, we’ll see.”

That same month, Hudgens and Pittsburgh Pirates player Cole Tucker went public with their romance by holding hands in Los Angeles.

Scroll down to see a timeline of Hudgens’ dating history!

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Zac Efron

Hudgens, who played the Gabriella Montez to Efron’s Troy Bolton in the three High School Musical movies, said on the “Awards Chatter” podcast in April 2019 that her romance with her castmate “started off really organically” in 2005. They ultimately called it quits after five years together, with a source telling Us at the time, “It was mutual. They have been together for so long. It just ran its course.” Hudgens said on Access Hollywood in March 2017 that she and Efron have since “completely lost contact.”

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Josh Hutcherson

Another costar! The Princess Switch actress was linked to her Journey 2: The Mysterious Island castmate Josh Hutcherson in early 2011. While describing the nature of their relationship later that year, he told Seventeen, “I don’t know if ‘dating’ is the right word.” The Hunger Games star went on to joke in a January 2012 interview, “She broke my heart. No, I’m just kidding. … We’re really good friends now.”

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Austin Butler

Hudgens and Butler were first linked in September 2011 and made their red carpet debut the following February at the Journey 2 premiere. They sparked breakup rumors in December 2019 after not spending her birthday or the holidays together. One month later, Us exclusively confirmed that their relationship was over. “Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup,” a source said.

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Kyle Kuzma

The Second Act star was briefly linked to Los Angeles Lakers player Kyle Kuzma in late January 2020. “It’s been fun and distracting for Vanessa to talk to, flirt with and get attention from a new guy,” a source told Us at the time.

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Cole Tucker

After posting about “date night” on Instagram, Hudgens was photographed getting cozy with Tucker in November 2020. Six months later, she told Entertainment Tonight that the two “met on a Zoom meditation group.” “Very random, yes,” she joked. “Zoom, you’ve got to love it.”