Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams reveals longterm girlfriend in Valentine’s Day post

Hudson Williams has revealed his longterm girlfriend with fans, sharing a rare glimpse of his private life after rising to fame on gay ice hockey drama Heated Rivalry.

The actor, who plays Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander, posted a Valentine’s Day collage yesterday (14 February) to his Instagram Stories, dedicated to his partner.

He did not reveal her name or when they began dating but hinted their relationship goes back years. Williams wrote that she has been “with me since my 2000 gold Mazda protege smoked and squealed and I had no job”.

Hudson Williams’s Valentine’s posts included cosy photos of the couple

Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels, Heated Rivalry follows the secret relationship between two rival players. Williams stars opposite Connor Storrie, who plays Boston Raiders captain Ilya Rozanov. Their intense chemistry quickly led to online interest in their real-life relationship.

Williams’s Valentine’s posts included cosy photos of the couple, a screenshot from one of their video calls and a restaurant snap showing his girlfriend seated beside Storrie, with a heart drawn around the latter’s face.

The actor has mostly stayed quiet about his personal life

She had already appeared in an Instagram album Williams shared on 31 January from a trip to Italy. Storrie also featured in that post, in a short clip showing him sharing an ice cream sundae with her.

The actor has mostly stayed quiet about his personal life, despite rumours swirling since the show turned him into a sex symbol.

Speaking in an interview with Deadline, he and Storrie addressed discussion around their off-screen sexualities, with Williams saying the speculation is “just the nature of celebrity”.

“I think there was never a question for me, when I dreamed of becoming in the public eye, that I would want a level of privacy,” Williams added.

On queer actors playing queer roles, he admitted he agrees this is important in storytelling. “I want queer people telling queer stories, but there’s also the element of Connor and I, we’re best friends, and we love expressing that physically.”

“Who I date, who I sleep with, all of that I’m going to keep to myself” – Williams addressing sexuality speculation

Storrie weighed in, saying he believes in keeping his personal life separate from the characters he plays. “It’s important for me to have a little bit of separation from the character in the show,” he said.

The pair have previously addressed their highly praised connection in Heated Rivalry. Speaking on the talk show The Society on CTV, Storrie explained that their relationship has blossomed off screen, so much so that they now have matching tattoos.

“Hudson and I are best friends. We became really close really quickly, and it’s much easier to have sex on camera and fall in love with someone if you’re friends,” Storrie said.

“Who I date, who I sleep with, all of that I’m going to keep to myself,” he stated.