The Truth About Naya Rivera And Heather Morris' Friendship
UPDATE: On July 13, 2020, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office confirmed Naya Rivera's body has been recovered at Lake Piru. In a press conference, Sheriff Bill Ayub said, "We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera."
The original story follows below.
Naya Rivera and Heather Morris played the iconic cheerleading couple Santana Lopez and Brittany Pierce, respectively, on the hit Fox series Glee. The two stars were also close friends off-screen. When news broke that Rivera went missing during a boating trip with her 4-year-old son on Lake Piru in Calif. on July 8, 2020, Morris immediately went to Instagram to ask her fans to pray for her former castmate.
"We need all the prayers we can get to bring our Naya back home to us," Morris posted to her Instagram Stories. "We need your love and light."
Rivera and Morris starred in the series from 2009 to 2015, and fans nicknamed their relationship "Brittana." They were front and center during Glee's final season when their characters got married in a double ceremony with characters Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss).
Let's take a closer look at the strong friendship between Rivera and Morris.
Naya Rivera and Heather Morris cheer each other on
Naya Rivera and Heather Morris played cheerleaders on Glee, but in real life, they also loved to cheer for one another.
In February 2015, Rivera announced she was expecting a child with then-husband Ryan Dorsey. Morris could not contain her excitement about the news. "We've been talking about it over and over," Morris told Entertainment Tonight. "I'm just excited because now my baby has a friend." Morris is the mother of two sons, Elijah and Owen, with her husband, Taylor Hubbell. She told Entertainment Tonight she hoped her children would have playdates with Rivera's son, Josey.
Rivera was the one doing the cheering when Morris was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars in 2017. "I feel like Heather's got some big shoes to fill," Rivera told People, acknowledging that fellow Glee star Amber Riley was a previous winner of DWTS. "But I'm not worried about her because she's a fantastic performer and a great dancer. I think she's going to bring so much fun to the show. I'm excited!" Unfortunately, Morris was not able to bring home another Glee victory on the dance floor, but she certainly had a strong friend in her corner.
Morris is now seeking prayers for her Rivera and her family during this difficult time.
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