Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams’ Valentine’s reveal leaves gay hearts broken

Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams has set the internet buzzing after revealing his long‑term girlfriend in a Valentine’s Day Instagram Story - a move that has left many fans, particularly those invested in the show’s queer romance, feeling rather heartbroken.

Williams, who plays Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander in the hit gay ice hockey drama, shared a collage of intimate photos with his partner on 14 February, giving followers an unusually candid glimpse into his private life. The actor has famously kept his personal world under tight wraps throughout his rapid ascent to fame. 

While Williams chose not to disclose his girlfriend’s name, he hinted that their relationship predates his rise to stardom, writing that she had been “with me since my 2000 gold Mazda Protégé smoked and squealed and I had no job.”

Media reports have identified her as a Vancouver‑based tattoo artist - widely referred to as Katelyn - though Williams himself has not publicly confirmed this. Her presence has quietly surfaced before, including an appearance in a late‑January Instagram carousel alongside Williams’ co‑star Connor Storrie, who plays rival‑turned‑love‑interest Ilya Rozanov on the show.

The reveal sent social media into meltdown, with reactions ranging from joy to confusion - and, inevitably, a chorus of good‑natured lamentations from gay fans whose fantasies of the actor’s off‑screen queerness have now been firmly dashed. Comments across fan spaces have jokingly declared that “gay hearts are broken worldwide,” in a nod to the show’s passionate LGBTQ+ audience and the intense fan investment in the Hollander-Rozanov pairing.