India, Sept. 10 -- Canadian actor Nina Dobrev has opened up about the real reason she walked away from The Vampire Diaries at the height of its popularity - a pay gap she says never closed, despite her years as the show's lead.

In Samantha Highfill's new book I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, the 36-year-old revealed that the unequal salaries between her and co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley played a major role in her decision to exit after season six.

"Candice, Kat, and I were the three lowest-paid series regulars in the first two seasons," she recalled, referring to Candice King and Kat Graham. While her contract only listed Elena Gilbert, Nina was also tasked with playing doppelganger Katherine Pierce...