Not only is it difficult to keep a series fresh and interesting after six years, but "The Vampire Diaries" also has to face an Elena-less season. All signs pointed to a successful season 7 premiere, however, that it had everyone – the cast, crew, and fans – breathing a sigh of relief. 

The finale of "The Vampire Diaries" season 6 saw Elena falling into a death-like sleep, her fate linked to her friend Bonnie. The twist was conceived after actress Nina Dobrev, who played Elena since the inception of the series, decided to leave the popular supernatural drama. 

It's understandable that fervent Delena shippers are still reeling over the loss of the other half of their favorite couple. But Ian Somerhalder, who plays the cocky vampire Damon, assured fans that Elena is still in his character's heart. 

The 36-year-old actor recently sat down with E! News and talked about the show and what fans of "The Vampire Diaries" can expect this season. The actor was asked what he wanted to say to fans who will miss Delena and he said that the two are still great characters even when separated. 

"All I can say about that is that they were great characters separate, they were great characters together, and they remain great characters separated," Somerhalder told E! News.

He added that Damon is still evolving and even though he might regress back to his old bad-boy ways, he still has that love for Elena in his heart. The actor then tried to lighten up the discussion and joked about how difficult it would be to maintain a relationship when your partner is in a coffin, sleeping for the next 60 or so years. 

Somerhalder admitted that Damon will have a challenging season as he tries to cope with his loss. And as the premiere episode of "The Vampire Diaries" showed, he eventually decided to sleep the next couple of decades away while waiting for Elena. However, Stefan woke him up as they were being hunted by a mysterious woman. 

To see what happens next to the Salvatore brothers, check out episode 2 of "The Vampire Diaries" when it airs on Oct. 15.