Did Ian Somerhalder just give away that next year’s season of The Vampire Diaries will be its last?

Yes, apparently he did. The star of the hit CW show was at WalkerStalkerCon in Nashville yesterday, when he stated, “We have decided to do one last season to really do the story justice.”

Just a few days before, Kat Graham, who plays witch Bonnie Bennett on the show, said that the eighth season would be her last, even if the show went on. Although she did not say anything about the show ending next year – unlike Somerhalder – with Nina Dobrev gone and now Graham, a ninth season would look pretty different than what we’ve been accustomed to.

The Vampire Diaries which was renewed in March, along with a whopping 10 other series, is currently the CW’s longest running series besides Supernatural, which the CW inherited from the WB.

During its seventh season the show found its way after the parting of its lead, Nina Dobrev, who played Elena Gilbert, the love interest of both Salvatore brothers. Even so, the series was moved from its regular broadcast day, on Thursdays, to Friday nights, a spot that many believe is the place where shows wilt away and finally have a slow but painless death.

Once a ratings hero for the CW, with around 3.5 million viewers, The Vampire Diaries averages a 0.4 rating in the demo and 1.1 million viewers since its move to Fridays. And even if it’s true that the way of watching TV has changed a lot over the years with DVR and online streaming, the fact that the show’s audience has been declining can’t be changed.

Nothing is official yet – my guess is that the news was going to be announced at the CW Upfronts – but I think, after Graham’s and Somerhalder’s statements ,it’s pretty much a done deal. We will definitely miss Mystic Falls, especially the brooding and striking Salvatore brothers, and we will keep our fingers crossed that Nina Dobrev decides to comes back (at least) for the finale.