Entertainment TV Ian Somerhalder Credits Wife Nikki Reed for Helping Him Out of a 'Terrible Business Situation' "I owe her my health, my life and my sanity," Ian Somerhalder said of Nikki Reed By Katie Campione Katie Campione Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 21, 2021 08:34 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Ian Somerhalder is letting the world know just how grateful he is for his wife, Nikki Reed. On Friday, the Vampire Diaries actor, 42, shared a heartfelt message on Instagram in honor of the Twilight star's 33rd birthday. In the post, he explained that Reed previously helped him out of a "terrible business situation" that had left him with large amount of debt. "This mama. This human. I owe you such gratitude for it all," he began the post, adding that Reed is "the reason" he was able to go into business with his TVD costar Paul Wesley and create Brother's Bond Bourbon. "I've never disclosed this publicly, but this woman worked selflessly for 2yrs to build me out of a terrible business situation I got myself into. Before Nik and I got together I built a company while shooting TVD that was important to me," he explained. Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder on Friendship and Their New Bourbon: It's a 'Brotherhood' "I invested heavily, I made huge personal guarantees to banks. However due to greed and fraud within that company and fraudulent activities from our biggest customer, not to mention the temporary collapse of the oil and gas industry - I was left in an EIGHT- FIGURE hole," Somerhalder continued. "It was awful. A true nightmare day in and day out. I had to travel the world weekly to pay for massive monthly six-figure bank notes and ended up in the hospital 4 times in 2 years," he recalled. Referring to Reed, Somerhalder wrote, "This woman here decided that she didn't want to see her husband ruin his body/mind/spirit and pulled up her bootstraps and got down in the trenches assembling a team to get to the negotiating table to find a way out. She devoted her life to getting me out of that mess and it almost killed her along the way." Somerhalder added that Reed's help allowed him to start fresh and launch his craft bourbon brand with Wesley. "I am where I am BECAUSE of this woman. Brothers Bond Bourbon is actually here today because of this woman. I was able to start my life over because of this woman. Needless to say it's been the most eye opening and truly humbling experience," he wrote. "Painful as hell but as a family SHE got us through. It's unreal. I owe her my health, my life and my sanity." RELATED VIDEO: 'The Vampire Diaries' Stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder on Friendship and Their New Bourbon: It's a "Brotherhood" Nikki Reed Sets Her Alarm for 4 a.m. to Work Before Her Daughter Wakes: 'I'm Doing the Best I Can' He concluded by wishing his wife a happy birthday: "I honor this woman and appreciate her more than anyone I could ever imagine. Happy 33 you incredible angel of a person. The light you radiate into our household and this planet is beyond inspiring. You are a superwoman. You made it possible for me to live and build my dreams and to start my life over. The world needs people like you." He signed the tribute: "Love, Ian aka Baby Daddy ❤️" Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Somerhalder and Reed were first spotted together in July 2014. After getting engaged in January 2015, the couple tied the knot that April. Two years later, the lovebirds welcomed daughter Bodhi Soleil in August 2017.