Why did Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron actually break up?

We're all in this together.

Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were undoubtedly one of the most popular A-list couples of the noughties, with High School Musical fans still hoping for a Troy and Gabriella reunion 12 years after their break up.

The IRL couple split back in 2010, with Vanessa and Zac both remaining tight-lipped about the relationship and subsequent break up.

During an appearance on the Awards Chatter podcast however, Hudgens got candid about the past relationship, speaking out about their time together.

"It started off really organically," Vanessa explained. "I could not have been more grateful to have that relationship at the time."

In fact, according to Hudgens, their relationship kept her grounded during the rollercoaster that was High School Musical.

"It was this massive phenomenon and [all] eyes were on me," she recalled. "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 continued: "I pride myself on being a professional. So I was like 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."

So why did Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens actually break up?

It was initially thought that fame might have been the reason for their split, with Hudgens speaking previously about the attention that Zac received. "I went through a phase when I was really mean because I was so fed up," she recalled. "Girls were running after [Zac], and I was giving them death stares. Then I realised that’s not what that’s about."

She has since spoken out however about long distance, with it now thought that this was the reason behind the amicable split.

"Long-distance relationships are hard no matter what," Vanessa explained in an interview with Shape. "When you don't have face-to-face time, it's just different. Having an iPhone helped, but it just wasn't the same."

"We grew up together," she concluded of her relationship with Efron. "It was nice to have someone to share all of those experiences with."

Well, that's that.