Heather Morris wants Glee fans to know that they’re not alone. Nearly one month after best friend and onscreen love interest Naya Rivera‘s death, Heather took to Instagram to share an emotional message with those who were inspired by their storyline on Glee, and by Naya herself. “I have been feeling really heavy lately. I’ve been feeling this, like, aching in my heart to connect with my fans, to connect with everybody who’s been feeling a little lost and a little confused during this time,” Heather, 33, began.
“Most of you felt like it was your gateway into your current life,” Heather said, recalling the Santana and Brittany’s epic love story. “Most of you felt like it was an inspiration to become your best self, and I want you to know that was never lost on me. It was never lost on Naya. We both knew how special that was. I think she knew a little bit more than I did. I really felt it a lot later, with all the messages and all the people reaching out and many of the writers also knew that as well. They were basically writing for the fans.”
Heather began crying as she mourned Naya, who died of an accidental drowning in July after going missing in Lake Piru. “I felt a really deep need to connect to all of you right now. Because I just know how important our relationship was to you all and I know a lot of you feel very lost and very far away from what happened, maybe a little bit confused and that’s completely normal.”
She thanked fans for supporting the LGBTQ+ community and making it possible for her an Naya to portray a beautiful romance between two high school cheerleaders. “Without you guys it would never have existed,” Heather said, wiping tears from her eyes. “You guys helped create something for the writers and for Naya and I that made an impact that will last for a lifetime and beyond that.”