Heather Morris broke down in tears as she reflected on her and Naya Rivera’s on-screen relationship.
The former ‘Glee’ actress has been feeling "very heavy" following the loss of her friend and co-star, and she felt the need to reach out to the pair’s fans who are feeling "a little lost and confused" following Naya’s death aged 33 last month.
Speaking in an emotional video posted on her Instagram, which she captioned "you are not alone", she said: "I have been feeling very 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 confused during this time.
"I don’t need to explain what the importance of Santana and Brittany’s relationship was to all of you who are watching, because most of you felt like it was your gateway into your current life. Most of you felt like it was an inspiration to become your best self.
"I want you to know that 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 I knew the writers also knew that as well. They were basically writing for the fans."
In ‘Glee’, Naya’s alter-ego Santana Lopez came out in iconic 2011 episode ‘I Kissed a Girl’ when she shared a smooch with Heather’s character Brittany Pierce.
And Heather has thanked the show’s fans for being "so supportive" of the relationship.
She added: "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, a maybe a bit confused. And that’s completely normal.
"But I felt like it owed it to you guys because I think the fans were such a huge impact on our storyline and I want to thank you all for being such advocates and so supportive of Santana and Brittany’s relationship, because without you guys it never would have existed.
"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 then. So I want to thank everyone here watching and I want to thank all the fans for your love and support.
"I want you to know that we are all here with you, that grief looks different on everybody and I want you to be gentle and kind to yourself during this time. I think many of you may feel very far away and I hope this message will help you feel closer."
Heather recently admitted she wants to "enjoy life" for Naya, who accidentally drowned last month while out boating on Lake Piru, California with her four-year-old son Josey.