Naya Rivera, who played fan-favorite Santana Lopez on Glee, reveals her struggle with some very serious personal issues both before and during the filming of the show.
Some may know her as Santana Lopez, but actress Naya Rivera is a real person with real struggles that were never fully revealed during her time on Glee.
Talking to People, Rivera revealed that she got pregnant with then boyfriend (now husband) Ryan Dorsey during the filming of Glee and on one of her only days off, decided to “put her career first” and got an abortion.
Rivera says she never told Dorsey about the abortion. “It was very scary to open up about everything. It’s not something a lot of people talk about, but I think they should. I know some people might read it and say, ‘What the Hell?’ But I hope someone out there gets something out of it.”
Rivera also talks about how her battle with anorexia seemed normal for her at her age because so many other girls were dealing with similar struggles.
She tells People, “I was so young and it just seemed to be the norm. Everyone was going through similar stuff. I had no way of knowing if I was going through it worse. I was juggling my feelings and it makes me sad that there are girls still going through that 15 years after I went through it.”
Rivera opens up about the seriousness of both her abortion and battle with anorexia in her upcoming memoir Sorry Not Sorry which goes on sale September 13. She also tells People that she hopes that her son Josey will read the book one day. “I hope Josey will read it one day. I hope it gives him a better perspective on the issues women face.”
