Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) had quite a journey on The Vampire Diaries. In the beginning, fans learned that she was in the midst of grief, trying to recover from a car accident that resulted in her parents' death. She then fell in love with two brothers who turned out to be vampires, died and then became a vampire herself.

Although many didn't like Elena's personality near the end of the show, several moments proved why she would be a great friend to have in your corner when times were tough. From supporting Stefan in his bloodlust to sacrificing herself, here are the 10 most selfless thing Elena has ever done.

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Convincing Stefan To Live

Most people will agree that one of the most stressful times in their lives was their teen years. You have to try delegating your time between maintaining good grades, having a social life, and possibly your job. For Elena, her stress was magnified by ten when she had to deal with her vampiric boyfriend losing control of his bloodlust.

Elena proved to be a pillar in Stefan's recovery, agreeing to watch over him as he went through withdrawal. She was also the only person who cared enough to see him live, rushing off to stop Stefan from killing himself as his guilt ate him up. It was mature of her to take on his problems and share his burden when she had other concerns too.

Breaking Up With Stefan To Protect Jenna

Damon and Stefan attempt to stake Katherine in the Vampire Diaries

One of the hardest decisions Elena had to make occurred in season 2 when she had to break up with Stefan to protect her family. This all came about after Katherine returned to Mystic Falls and was out to make her mark by threatening Elena and Stefan's relationship.

At first, Elena and Stefan tried to date in secret and faked a breakup. However, Katherine proved that she didn't fall for their tricks and revealed how serious she was, compelling Jenna to stab herself. Realizing how dangerous Katherine was, Elena broke up with Stefan to protect their family and friends from future danger.

Sacrificing Herself For Stefan

Ask any fans which seasons of Elena is their favorite and the majority will agree that the first three seasons are the best. Why? Because it was during this time that Elena decided to think about someone other than herself.

In season 2, Elena was forced to go through a traumatic experience after she discovered Klaus was coming for her. While her friends did all they could to prevent this from happening, they ran into a problem when Stefan got trapped in the tomb with Katherine. Since no one could get him out, Elena struck up a deal with Elijah and offered to become bait if he protected her friends and released Stefan. It's pretty selfless to offer your own life to ensure the safety of others.

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Saved Caroline From Damon

Another aspect of the show that is glossed over by the characters is the time Damon abused Caroline at the beginning of season 1. For weeks, Damon compels Caroline and manipulates her into doing his bidding. He also used her as his personal blood bank and erased her memories whenever he wanted to use her.

However, Elena discovers the quasi-truth when she notices the bite marks and bruises on Caroline. Even though Caroline and Elena weren't as close as they used to be, it doesn't stop Elena from warning the older Salvatore brother to stay away from her friend. She also tells Stefan about Damon's behavior, which then leads to Stefan incapacitating him for a while.

Comforting Damon Over Katherine

Delena fans rejoiced after the couple was reunited in the season 8 finale, but they did have to overcome a lot of obstacles to get there. Especially in the beginning when Damon couldn't care less about anyone other than Katherine and Elena couldn't stand his arrogant and selfish nature.

However, Damon's (dead) heart was set for more heartbreak when he discovered his relationship with Katherine didn't mean as much to his creator as it did to him. Damon is devastated to find out that not only did Katherine escape the sealed tomb, but knew where he was and didn't care. In a sign of friendship, Elena decides to comfort him, knowing how much he was hurting over losing Katherine again.

Her Reason For Giving Katherine The Cure

Nina Dobrev as Katherine in The Vampire Diaries

Never in a million years did fans ever think Elena would show a shred of kindness towards Katherine, but it did happen. Quite a lot. One of the kindest moments being in season 5 when Elena reveals why she gave Katherine the cure and no one else.

Just like many other times, Elena likes to believe there was some good in humanity and some people deserve a second chance. She tells Katherine that she wants her to have the chance to rediscover her humanity, using this opportunity to redeem herself for her past mistakes. It's nice that Elena believed she was worth a second chance

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Sending Jeremy Away

Elena and Jeremy in the Gilbert house in The Vampire Diaries

One of the show's best relationships came in the form of Jeremy and Elena, who are the epitome of the phrase "blood is thicker than water". Out of all the relationships, Jeremy and Elena were really close. This was because they had to lean on each other for support after their family experienced many tragic events.

However, the toughest decision Elena had to make was sending Jeremy out of Mystic Falls to protect him ("The New Deal"). This came about after Klaus tried to kill Jeremy when Stefan refused to return the coffins holding his siblings. Although it devastated her to do so, Elena asked Damon to compel Jeremy and make him leave Mystic Falls so he could live his life away from the supernatural.

Bonnie Or Elena?

Stefan holds Elena's hand in her coffin in The Vampire Diaries.

The last selfless deed Elena did came in the season 6 finale after Kai's revenge plan saw her fall into a coma. With Nina Dobrev set to depart from the show, fans were intrigued to see how Elena's story would end. The exit was set in motion after Kai revealed that Elena would only come out of her coma if Bonnie died.

Damon and Elena conclude to allow Bonnie to live after everything she has done for them. In their goodbye, Elena makes Bonnie promise to enjoy her life and not feel any regret about her predicament, adding she would get her happy ending eventually. It's was sweet that they put Bonnie's happiness ahead of everything for a change.

Forgave Katherine On Deathbed

Throughout the series, fans watched as Elena and Katherine engaged in a long rivalry. At first, the feud began as Elena and Katherine battled over Stefan's affections. Tensions then continued to arise when Katherine was determined to ruin Elena's life, tormenting her family and friends as well as trying to kill her on numerous occasions.

However, in "500 Years of Solitude", Elena is ready to put their rivalry to rest as Katherine is on the brink of death. Elena told Katherine that she had forgiven her for everything she did to her, which Katherine does appreciate. It's quite a selfless thing to do considering Katherine is her worst enemy.

Died Saving Matt

Elena about to become a vampire in The Vampire Diaries

The most selfless thing Elena ever did was picking Matt's life over her own. This came about in the season 3 finale when fans believed the love triangle between Stefan, Elena, and Damon had come to an end after Elena made her choice. However, on her way back to Stefan, she and Matt ran into a problem when Rebekah caused them to swerve off the bridge.

With Elena and Matt's life on the line, Stefan was forced to pick between the two. Elena made Stefan rescue Matt first, deciding he was in a worse condition and needed it more. Unfortunately, Stefan was too late and Elena died as a result of the accident.

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