Lea Michele opens up about finding love after Cory Monteith's death

Two years after her boyfriend and Glee co-star Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose, Lea Michele opened up about finding love again. With support from friends and colleagues she admitted she was able to find the strength to move on and fall in love with 30-year-old Matthew Paetz . "I wanted to make sure that I was OK with me, feeling strong and feeling happy on my own," the actress said in FLARE magazine's October issue.

Lea opened up about finding love again with Matthew Photo: Getty Images

She added, "I wanted to make sure that I was a whole person again and that no one was coming into my life to put me back together. I needed to do that on my own. I worked very, very, very hard, and I got back to that place where I was genuinely happy and strong and ready to live again and see the world and, you know, bring in more beautiful experiences. And that's when someone miraculously came into my life."

The Glee co-stars were pictured together just a month before Cory's death Photo: Getty Images
The Scream Queens star likely used her tragic experience to write her self-help book aimed at women, titled You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life. "I'm so proud of my success. I'm really proud of the life I've built and created for myself. I've kept my head on my shoulders to get to where I am," she continued. "You're always going to run into critics. The only people I care about are the people that are close to me. It's a tough business, it's a tough town, and you really have to have a thick skin. I'm constantly learning, but I'm really proud of where I am."

Aside from her blossoming relationship and career, Lea is looking forward to her 29th birthday on August 29. "Hey, it's my golden year," she joked to the magazine. "It's gonna be great, no matter what."