Celebrity

EXCLUSIVE: How Zac fell in love with his Aussie girlfriend

The unusual way the movie star met the model turned waitress.
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He’s fallen in love with Byron Bay during his stay Down Under over the past few months, but it seems the laid-back town isn’t the only thing Zac Efron has fallen head over heels with.

WATCH: Zac Efron drops a condom on the red carpet

The 32-year-old has reportedly had his heart stolen by Aussie model Vanessa Valladares, with the new couple recently seen returning from a ski trip to Thredbo together. 

The pair were first spotted together back in July, after meeting while she was working at the Byron Bay General Store cafe and restaurant Light Years earlier that month.

 

Image: Getty
Zac is one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. (Image: Getty)
Image: Instagram
Vanessa is a budding model who was working as a waitress to make some extra money during the pandemic. (Image: Instagram)

“They were introduced by her boss,” a source tells WHO exclusively.

And after hitting things off, Valladares, 25, is said to have since left her job as a waitress and is now living with the actor at Belongil Beach. 

Efron has been living in Byron Bay since leaving the US earlier this year. And it seems he’s taken a liking to the idyllic beachside town, with sources saying he is eyeing up a property there.

Last month, the actor cancelled a flight back to LA after his visa was officially extended from three months to 12.

“He was only planning to fly home if he had to,” a source told Daily Mail at the time.

“He didn’t really want to go back to America.”

Image: Getty
Zac has recently spoken about his desire to step away from Hollywood. (Image: Getty)
Image: Instagram
The actor recently starred in a new documentary on Netflix. (Image: Instagram)

The Greatest Showman star recently touched on his desire to leave Los Angeles in an episode of his new Netflix docuseries, Down to Earth with Zac Efron.

“[I] gotta get out of Hollywood,” Efron shared, revealing the lifestyle is “not conducive” to a “long, happy, mentally sound life”.

Image: Instagram
Vanessa’s Instagram is filled with stunning selfies. (Image: Instagram)
Image: Instagram
The gorgeous budding model showing off her assets on Instagram. (Image: Instagram)

But while a sea change has always been on the cards for the actor, it seems his blossoming romance with the brunette beauty has also played a part in his decision to stay Down Under. 

Before Valladares, the actor dated actress Halston Sage and was also linked to his Baywatch co-star Alexandra Daddario in 2018.

It’s only been in recent years that Efron has started thinking about long-term love. 

“I didn’t think much about settling down until recently,” he shared.

“I’m around some great relationships … I’m realising that you have to find your own happiness before you can make somebody else happy.”

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