Naya Rivera’s ex-husband Ryan Dorsey has written a message to the late actress to mark the anniversary of her funeral.

Rivera, 33, drowned last year after getting into difficulty at Lake Piru in southern California while on a trip with her then four-year-old son, who was found alone and unharmed on their rented boat.

Actor Dorsey shared a picture of their son Josey alongside his message.

He wrote on Instagram: “Today… A year ago we laid you to rest. I still can’t believe it.

“The year has flown by, so fast that it doesn’t seem like it’s been a year at all.”

He said their son has “grown so much”.

He added: “He’s such an explorer, so inquisitive. He’s sweet, so funny and his laugh always lights up the room.

“He’s an intuitive soul to say the least. To know him is to love him, everyone that meets him is always smiling.

“He’s doing ok. He’s such a resilient strong kid.

“He misses you but knows he’ll see you again, and the invisible string is something that’s helped us out during this ever-evolving transition of your time with us on earth that was unfairly & for reasons we’ll never understand cut short… too soon…”

Search for missing Glee star continues
Rivera died on Lake Piru, southern California (Keiran Southern/PA)

He said July will “probably always be a strange and difficult month in the years that are hopefully plentiful in the future”.

Dorsey added: “For everyone out there that’s gone through similar events of loss… you know there’s not really any words that make it better… we know some days are better than others… but know our hearts and energy are with you.

“We keep going, because that’s all we can do while being as strong as we can be.”

Rivera was best known for playing high school cheerleader Santana Lopez on musical comedy series Glee.

She and Dorsey were married from 2014 to 2018.