Hudson Williams and Sophie Nélisse as Rose, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova as Svetlana and Connor Storie in Heated Rivalry. (Accent Aigu Entertainment/Bell Media)
The HBO hit struck a nerve with the Olympic skier.
Olympic freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has opened up about his pre-coming-out years. In an interview with The New Yorker published on 25 January, the 34-year-old drew striking parallels between his own life and the hit series Heated Rivalry.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself reflected onscreen like that, in such a substantial way,” Kenworthy told the publication. “I also had a secret relationship, with these clandestine meetings and hookups.”
In Heated Rivalry, hockey star Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) publicly dates actress Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) while hiding his relationship with rival player Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). Kenworthy sees a direct comparison to his own experience with pop singer Miley Cyrus.
“Miley Cyrus was my own Rose, this famous person that I was suddenly linked to,” he explained. “And as much as I kind of wanted it, because that’s the person you would want to be with if you’re straight, someone successful and beautiful and talented, it’s not the same as when you’re with a guy.”
The connection began after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where Kenworthy won silver. He had publicly named Cyrus as his celebrity crush. She followed him on Twitter. The two exchanged texts.
The problem? Kenworthy already had a secret boyfriend.
“It was surreal for a number of reasons, but I was also digging myself this deeper and deeper hole,” he said. “I actually love her. But then there was some flirty texting, and I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing? I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to keep waking up and lying.'”
Connor Storie and Hudson Williams in Heated Rivalry. (Accent Aigu Entertainment/Bell Media)
A show that surprised him.
Kenworthy admitted he was initially sceptical about the series, which premiered on HBO Max and Crave in November 2025.
“At first, I didn’t understand the big deal,” he said. “People kept telling me, ‘Just wait, it tugs on the heartstrings.’ And then it did.”
The third episode, which follows Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady’s (Robbie G.K.) romance, moved him so much that he messaged creator Jacob Tierney directly.
Kenworthy came out publicly in 2015 through an interview with ESPN. He is now in a relationship with Andrew Rigby and will represent the United Kingdom at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
