Naya Rivera's ex, Ryan Dorsey, is clearing the air over his relationship with the late actress' sister Nickayla Rivera.
In a conversation with People, Dorsey explained how Nickayla moved into his Los Angeles home following Naya's death in 2020 to help raise her nephew Josey, whom Dorsey shared with the Glee star. According to Dorsey, he wouldn't be home to care for Josey as much due to his work schedule, and Nickayla stepped in.
"She was such a big help," said Dorsey. "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."
He added, "She served as somewhat of a female figure and helped be the other voice of reason [...] It was very surreal sometimes because the way she would say things to Josey would sound like his mom."
Fans began to speculate that Dorsey and Nickayla were having an affair after they were seen shopping together for Josey's fifth birthday. Dorsey admitted he could see how the two looked like a couple but reiterated that it wasn't that serious.
"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," said Dorsey. "That was the only time I've ever addressed anything on social media because it was just so insane."
Rivera drowned while swimming with Josey in Lake Piru in Ventura County, California. Elsewhere in the interview with People, Dorsey revealed that Josey feels guilty not being able to save his mother from drowning. While Rivera attempted to get back on the boat, Josey tried to find something to assist her but became scared when he saw a "big spider" on a rope.
"Something he's said over and over is that he was trying to find a life raft, and there was a rope, but there was a big spider on the rope, and he was too scared to throw it," Ryan explained. "I keep reassuring him, 'Buddy, that rope wasn't going to be long enough.' That obviously still sticks out in his head because he feels like he could have saved her. I think she just got caught up in a brush — that or a weird undercurrent from the dam. It was just a freak occurrence."
