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Two years after her boyfriendand Glee co-star Cory Monteith died of a drug overdose, Lea Michele opened upabout finding love again. With support from friends and colleagues she admittedshe was able to find the strength to move on and fall in love with 30-year-old MatthewPaetz. "I wanted to make sure thatI was OK with me, feeling strong and feeling happy on my own," the actresssaid in FLARE magazine's October issue.
Lea opened up about finding love again with Matthew Photo: Getty Images
She added, "I wanted tomake sure that I was a whole person again and that no one was coming into mylife 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 andstrong and ready to live again and see the world and, you know, bring in morebeautiful experiences. And that's when someone miraculously came into mylife."
The Glee co-stars were pictured together just a month before Cory's death Photo: Getty Images
The
Scream Queens
star likelyused her tragic experience to write her self-helpbook aimed at women, titled
You First: Journal Your Way to Your Best Life.
"I'm so proud of my success. I'mreally proud of the life I've built and created for myself. I've kept my headon my shoulders to get to where I am," she continued. "You're alwaysgoing to run into critics. The only people I care about are the people that areclose to me. It's a tough business, it's a tough town, and you really have tohave a thick skin. I'm constantly learning, but I'm really proud of where Iam."
Aside from her blossomingrelationship and career, Lea is looking forward to her 29th birthdayon August 29. "Hey, it's my golden year,"she joked to the magazine. "It's gonna be great, no matter what."