Whatever happened to Vanessa Valladares? Inside the low-key life of Zac Efron’s Australian model ex-girlfriend after her brief time in the spotlight

She was once one of the world’s most talked-about women – the unknown Australian waitress-slash-model who managed to capture the heart of Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron back in 2020.

But Vanessa Valladares’ peasant-to-princess fantasy was snuffed out after just 10 months, and the budding socialite returned to obscurity.

So what has Vanessa been doing?

What every Byron Bay cool girl is doing – travelling around Europe for the summer with her artist boyfriend, Todd Clare.

The brunette, who posts once or twice a month to her carefully-curated Instagram feed, has been country-hopping since May this year, first paying a visit to Madrid.

Sharing a gallery of photos from her travels, she wrote: ‘have found a quiet joy in the sound of old church bells ringing through the timeworn streets. Their music, weathered and wise, somehow gathers me into the moment.’

Vanessa Valladares was once one of the world’s most talked-about women – the unknown Australian waitress-slash-model who managed to capture the heart of Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron back in 2020

Valladares (pictured) has been living a quiet life since their whirlwind romance four years ago

‘In a world cluttered with noise, these tones feel strangely comforting and enduring, equally alongside the many beautiful details one loves in an old city,’ she added, finishing her prose with: ‘Moments in Madrid’.

In June, the couple flew to Portugal, where they spent time at the beach, exploring the cobbled streets and visiting art galleries.

A month later, they hopped on a plane to Milan, with Vanessa sharing photos of the couple exploring more art galleries including a minimalist exhibition called NADA by Belgian artist Thierry De Cordier.

Prior to her trip, Vanessa dabbled in some modelling jobs, posing in a campaign for photography equipment brand Urth back in October 2024.

She also appeared nude in an art publication called P Magazine in the same month.

In December 2024 she appeared in editorial photo shoots for fashion brand The Silk, skincare brand The Rest and a manifestation school called Uma.

Vanessa now appears to be back home in Byron Bay, as just this week she posted about visiting a local breathwork studio for a much-needed unwind.

Vanessa split from Zac in September 2021, and has since deleted all photos of the couple on Instagram.

The model has been travelling around Europe for the summer with her artist boyfriend, Todd Clare (left)

The brunette, who posts once or twice a month to her carefully-curated Instagram feed, has been country-hopping since May this year, first paying a visit to Madrid

In June, the couple flew to Portugal, where they spent time at the beach, exploring the cobbled streets and visiting art galleries

Ever the model, Vanessa effortlessly posed in her swimwear during an impromptu photo shoot in Madrid

It’s unclear how long Vanessa has been dating her artist boyfriend

According to various reports, Zac was introduced to Vanessa by her boss at Byron Bay’s General Store café in June 2020, and the pair immediately hit it off.

Two months later, in August, Daily Mail revealed Zac had cancelled his scheduled return flight to Los Angeles because he ‘didn’t really want to go back’.

Within weeks, the genetically-blessed couple had moved in together in Byron Bay.

Zac confirmed their relationship in September when they were spotted holding hands in public.

Vanessa accompanied her famous boyfriend as he travelled around Australia for various work projects from late 2020 to early 2021.

But it was confirmed in April 2021 they had called it quits, with Zac’s friend Kyle Sandilands announcing on his KIIS FM radio show: ‘I can confirm [the break-up], after speaking with him yesterday.’