Who is late Glee star Naya Rivera’s ex-husband, Ryan Dorsey? She met The Vampire Diaries actor in 2010 thanks to her co-star Heather Morris, and now he’s raising their son Josey as a single dad

Ryan Dorsey is opening up about losing Naya Rivera, five years after the Glee star died from accidental drowning in July 2020.

He told People magazine that he had been in a supermarket when he received a call from Rivera’s family saying she had gone missing during a fishing trip on a California lake with their son Josey, who was safe. “I knew something bad had happened and I feared the worst,” he said. “It was a windy day and they didn’t have an anchor.”

The 41-year-old actor said that “the last thing she said was his [her son’s] name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her any more”. The 33-year-old actress’ body was found in an area of the lake that was about nine-metres deep five days later, per NBC News.

Dorsey also used the interview with the outlet to set the record straight about a rumoured relationship with his late ex-wife’s sister, Nickayla Rivera. “She was such a big help,” he told People magazine. “I wanted to keep [Josey’s] life somewhat normal, and I knew I was going to be out of town working. I had to go to Vancouver for five months and Josey came the last month to stay with me, but during the time I was gone she held it down and kept that consistency.”

Dorsey and Nickayla sparked romance rumours when they were spotted shopping together for Josey’s birthday celebrations. “The funny thing is, it did look like we were holding hands, but we grazed fingers on the escalator, and then it was this whole thing,” he said. “That was the only time I’ve ever addressed anything on social media because it was just so insane.”

Here’s what we know about Ryan Dorsey and where he is today.