Vanessa Hudgens on her relationship with Zac Efron - he helped keep her “stabilized and grounded”

It’s not every day Vanessa Hudgens opens up about her romantic relationship with her former co-star Zac Efron, but when she does, we’re all ears. On The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the 30-year-old admits, “It started off really organically. I could not have been more grateful to have that relationship at the time.” You may recall, the High School Musical alums dated from 2006 to 2010 which were peak HSM years, and at the time Vanessa was learning how to handle her newfound fame. “It was this massive phenomenon and [all] eyes were on me,” said the star.

Vanessa and Zac dated from 2006 to 2010

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“And it’s just a really weird foreign thing to go through, and by being in a relationship, it kind of kept me stabilized and grounded, and I had someone to lean on who was going through it as well,” she added. The Second Act actress also revealed dating her co-star didn’t always go smoothly on set, but as a total professional she managed the situation.

The HSM alum says their relationship helped keep her stablilized at the time of her newfound fame

“I remember one time we did have a fight and it was while we were at rehearsals, and I remember Kenny Ortega coming around the corner with the most concerned look on his face like, ‘Oh no, is our movie going to fall apart right?’” she explained.

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“I pride myself on being a professional, so I was like, that aside, we are going to move forward and do what we need to do…and we sorted it all out. I think because I was so young, I think that relationship stabilized me,” she added. Since their break-up in 2010, Vaness and Zac have moved on with their love lives.

The Hollywood star has been in a long-term relationship with Austin Butler for eight years. Meanwhile, the 31-year-old actor was last rumored to be dating Olympic swimmer Sarah Bro.