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The grieving ex-husband of Naya Rivera has found solace in a relationship with the tragic Glee star’s lookalike younger sister.
Actor Ryan Dorsey, 37, and 25-year old model Nickayla Rivera have been inseparable since 33-year-old Naya drowned while boating with her four-year-old son Josey on California‘s Lake Piru in July.
Ryan and Nickayla have now moved into a three-bedroom rented house together where they are caring for Josey, who turned five last week, with the help of Dorsey’s parents.
The pair are spending every spare minute of their time together, as seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos.
Both Ryan and Nickayla, a stunning 5ft 11in fashion model and social influencer who bears a striking resemblance to her actress sister, posted emotional tributes to Naya on social media after her shocking death. Since the tragedy, they have been leaning heavily on each other for support and comfort.
Naya Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey has been spending a lot of time with the late actress’ 25-year-old model sister Nickayla Rivera since the the Glee star’s death in July, as seen in exclusive DailyMail.com photos
The pair were seen holding hands as they shopped in a local Target store and went down the escalator on September 19
They have been inseparable since 33-year-old Naya drowned while boating with her four-year-old son Josey on California’s Lake Piru and were spotted together multiple times this month
Nickayla is pictured in a previous Instagram post with Naya, who is eight years her senior. Naya and Ryan welcomed their son Josey in 2015 and divorced in 2018
The pair have moved in together to this rented home about 30 minutes away from Ryan’s previous home in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley
On September 6, Nickayla was seen helping Ryan begin moving his belongings from his previous home in North Hills, in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, to a new rented home where the pair are both living 30 minutes away.
At one point, Ryan stripped off his black t-shirt in the sweltering heat to reveal his ripped torso, while Nickayla showed off her stunning physique in black sweat pants and a black New York motif crop top. She wore her long dark hair in a tight bun.
Two days later, the pair spent two hours loading his furniture from his old home into a rented yellow moving truck, which Ryan drove to the new house, which has a pool and costs nearly $5,000-a-month to rent.
Nickayla, wearing black sweat pants and a tiny white crop top, followed in Ryan’s black Chevrolet Tahoe.
September 6
On September 6, Nickayla was seen helping Ryan begin moving his belongings from his previous home in North Hills, in LA’s San Fernando Valley, to a new rented home at which the pair are both living 30 minutes away
The pair were seen in Ryan’s black Chevrolet Tahoe as they headed to Ryan’s home to help him move out and into the rental home they share 30 minutes away
At one point, Ryan stripped off his black t-shirt in the sweltering heat to reveal his ripped torso as he wore a bandana around his neck, a black cap and Nike sneakers
Nickayla showed off her stunning physique in black sweatpants and a black New York motif crop top. She wore her long dark hair in a tight bun
Ryan was seen lifting a rolled up rug as he began moving his belongings out of his home on September 6 and into the new home where he’ll raise his son Josey with the help of Nickayla and his parents
Ryan flashed a quick smile as he got into his black SUV. Since the tragedy, he and Nickayla have been leaning heavily on each other for support and comfort
Nickayla, who stands at 5ft 11in, was seen walking with her purse into Ryan’s home to help move him out
The following day on September 9, the pair were seen helping each other with yard work and chatting happily.
Nickayla wore jeans and a white top tied to expose her taut midriff while Ryan wore green shorts and t-shirts. Josey was playing in the yard while the pair kept a protective eye on him.
It seems whenever the pair has been spotted of late, they are always together. It appears they barely leave home without each other for company.
On September 19, the pair playfully held hands as they shopped in a local Target store.
Ryan pushed the shopping cart and Nickayla jokingly pushed him away with her shoulder as they perused the aisles while animatedly laughing and chatting.
‘They seem really comfortable together and are obviously helping each other through a very difficult period in both their lives,’ said an eye witness who spotted the pair in Target. ‘They were fooling around and chatting the whole time. They’re obviously helping lift each other’s spirits.’
September 8
On September 8, the pair spent two hours loading Ryan’s furniture from his old home into a rented yellow moving truck. They were spotted by DailyMail.com chatting
Ryan drove the large rental truck to the new house, which has a pool and costs nearly $5,000-a-month to rent. It seems whenever the pair have been spotted as of late, they are always together
Stunning Nickayla, wearing black sweatpants and a tiny white crop top, followed in Ryan’s black Chevrolet Tahoe after he packed up the truck. Ryan wore a graphic t-shirt with a message to vote
Ryan hopped into the oversize moving truck to drive it 30 minutes to the new home the pair are sharing with his son Josey
‘I can’t believe this is life now. I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it. You were just here,’ Ryan said in a heartbreaking Instagram post after the death of Naya
Naya was reported missing on July 8 after Josey was found drifting and asleep in a rented pontoon boat.
Her lifeless body was found floating in the lake, known for rip currents and having cold, deep water, five days after she disappeared.
The sheriff reported that she was most likely trapped in vegetation underwater. Her death was officially ruled an accidental drowning.
Josey told police that he and his mother went swimming, and that while she was able to push him back up on the deck of the boat, she never resurfaced.
September 9
On September 9, the pair were seen helping each other with yard work and chatting happily. It appears they barely leave home without each other for company
Nickayla wore jeans and a white cropped hoodie to expose her taut midriff while Ryan wore green shorts and t-shirt with sneakers
Dorsey posted a heartbreaking tribute to his ex-wife on Instagram after her body was recovered. ‘This is so unfair…there’s not enough words to express the hole left in everyone’s hearts,’ he wrote
Nickayla changed out of her jeans and kept it casual in shorts and a cropped sweatshirt as she carried a small dog from the property
In the sweltering Southern California heat, Nickayla took off her sweatshirt to reveal her toned physique in a black tank top as she carried her purse alongside Ryan
Nickayla posted a tribute to her older saying after her death, saying: ‘Side by side or miles apart, our connection is infinite. Our bond is unbreakable. We were complete opposites, yet simultaneously the same. The yin to my yang. I never knew that by losing you, I would find so much of you in myself’
Nickayla was seen juggling multiple reusable shopping bags from Marshalls and TJ Maxx with her hair up in a messy bun
Ryan waived from his property as his son Josey (not pictured) played in the front yard under a protective eye
Dorsey later posted a heartbreaking tribute to the actress on Instagram.
‘This is so unfair…there’s not enough words to express the hole left in everyone’s hearts,’ he wrote.
‘I can’t believe this is life now. I don’t know if I’ll ever believe it. You were just here.’
He added: ‘Life is all about good times and bad times but with Josey it makes the bad a little less so because a part of you will always be with us. He’ll never forget where he came from. We miss you. We will always love you.’
Nickayla also posted a tribute to her older saying, saying: ‘Side by side or miles apart, our connection is infinite. Our bond is unbreakable. We were complete opposites, yet simultaneously the same. The yin to my yang. I never knew that by losing you, I would find so much of you in myself.’
She added: I’ve never known a life without you in it & still can’t imagine it. My world is turned upside down. But through it all, everything we were, we are still. I’ll always look at you with the same eyes as I did when I was young. My shmaya, I’ll love you for eternity & miss you every second of my life.’
September 13
On September 13, Nickayla wore burgundy sweat pants and a white t-shirt, with her long hair in a ponytail, as she and Ryan went shopping
Ryan wore his signature pirate motif neck scarf over his face while Nickayla wore a black face mask and was seen putting it on before entering the store
Ryan was all in gray as he and Nickayla went shopping. The pair had been spotted together several times over the month of September and appear to be inseparable since Naya’s passing
Naya shot to fame and critical acclaim playing openly gay cheerleader Santana Lopez on the hit Fox series from 2009 until 2015.
Her love interest, fellow cheerleader Brittany, played by Heather Morris, eventually became her wife.
Naya and then-husband Ryan Dorsey welcomed son Josey Hollis in 2015.
She called her young son ‘my greatest success, and I will never do any better than him’ in her 2016 memoir ‘Sorry Not Sorry.’
The couple divorced in 2018, after Rivera had earlier applied to end the marriage in 2016 but the couple had initially reconciled.
Dorsey, also an actor, has appeared on shows including Ray Donavan and Justified.
September 19
On September 19, the pair were seen spotted shopping around in Target, possibly for home items for their new digs together
‘They seem really comfortable together and are obviously helping each other through a very difficult period in both their lives,’ said an eye witness who spotted the pair in Target
‘They were fooling around and chatting the whole time. They’re obviously helping lift each other’s spirits,’ an eyewitness said about the pair’s trip to Target
Both Ryan and Nickayla kept it casual in black shorts and Nike sneakers. Nickayla wore a sweatshirt with Ryan wore a black t-shirt
They were seen loading up Ryan’s SUV with the items they purchased from a local Target. Mickayla was seen wearing a sweatshirt that says ‘The industry is watching’
Nickayla and Ryan were seen outdoor at Target and a hardware store in Los Angeles on September 19. They each flashed their tattoos, with Nickayla’s on the back of her neck and Ryan’s on the back of his calf
Nickayla has 78,000 Instagram followers and is currently signed to top modeling agencies Photogenics in Los Angeles and Wilhelmina in New York, following in the footsteps of her mother who moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a model.
Nickayla is friends with some of the most famous faces in the business.
She previously shared a photo to social media with fellow models Chrissy Teigen and Chanel Iman, which can be seen via her Instagram account.
Naya Rivera’s father, George Rivera, left, and mother Yolanda, third from right, are pictured with members of Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in a boat after Naya’s body was found in Lake Piru, Monday, July 13
This diagram shows where actress Naya , 33, and her four-year-old son Josey rented a boat on Lake Piru before the young boy was found alone. The map in the top left shows the location of the lake in relation to Los Angeles where Rivera lives
Naya Rivera sent a photo of her four-year-old son Josey to a family member 90 minutes before he was found on their pontoon boat that shows the cove they’d sailed to
‘My world is turned upside down’: Naya Rivera’s devastated younger sister Nickayla Rivera posted a moving tribute to the late Glee star on Instagram
Ryan Dorsey broke his silence regarding the tragic passing of his ex wife Naya Rivera in a heartbreaking Instagram post
Naya’s autopsy confirmed that the actress died by drowning and there were no signs drugs or alcohol played a role in her death. The manner of her death was listed as an accident.
The Glee star’s body was recovered from the northeast portion of Lake Piru, located 50 miles north of Los Angeles, days after she went missing on July 8 while boating with her son.
The actress grew up 20 miles from the lake and was familiar with it, police sources said. She thought of it as her ‘sanctuary’, despite it being known for rip currents and icy waters that can overpower swimmers.
The lake itself is 1,200 acres and can reach depths of up to 130 feet.
With almost zero visibility, human divers were resorting to searching by feel to recover the actress.
Her Glee cast mates, Ryan and her parents were all seen at the shores of the lake to pay tribute to the late star.
