Naya Rivera’s ex-husband opens up about raising their son after her death
Naya Rivera’s ex-husband has spoken out for the first time since her death.
Glee actress Naya tragically drowned on July 8, 2020 in Lake Piru in California, after she got into difficulty while swimming with her four-year-old son, Josey. Naya was just 33 when her body was discovered five days later.
It is believed that Naya exhausted herself after saving her son, and was unable to climb back onto the boat that she had rented out with Josey earlier that day.
Naya’s ex-husband, actor Ryan Dorsey, is now raising the pair’s son as a single parent. Almost five years on from Naya’s death, Ryan has since opened up about her passing.
Speaking to People, Ryan described the accident as “the worst five days of my life”.
“If we’d have lost both Naya and Josey, I don’t know how I would continue on with my life. I don't know what I would've done, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been good,” the 41-year-old admitted.
Ryan also revealed several heartbreaking moments that Josey, who is now nine, remembers from his mother’s drowning.
“He said that the last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn’t see her anymore. It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments,” he explained.
“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. 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,” he confessed.
Describing Josey as “definitely his mama’s son”, Ryan stated how he parents his son after Naya’s passing.
“I treat him differently than I would a normal kid because of what he’s been through. For me, it’s not a big deal if he hears a bad word or if he sees someone get killed on TV. I don’t know if that’s a bad way to go about raising him, but it is the cards we were dealt,” he noted, adding: “I’m trying to be the best parent that I can be."
