Lea Michele has worked hard to get where she is now.
The "Glee" actress covers the October issue of Flare magazine (via Just Jared), where she opens up about finding love again after losing boyfriend Cory Monteith.
Monteith tragically passed away on Jul 13, 2013 in Vancouver, Canada after overdosing. While it's been a battle for Lea to get back to a happy place in her life, she says she's finally in a good place.
"I wanted to make sure that I was okay with me, feeling strong and feeling happy on my own. I didn't want anybody to fill any holes for me—that sounds sexual! 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," she says about dealing with the loss of Cory.
"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," she reveals. "And that's when someone miraculously came into my life."
The brunette beauty met her current boyfriend, Matthew Paetz, on the set of her "On My Way" music video in April of 2014 and the two began dating last summer.
The 28-year-old actress and Paetz have been nearly inseparable since going public, too. Michele even shared a PDA pic for Paetz's birthday thanking him for all of his love and support.
"Matthew, thank you for bringing such happiness into my life. For making me smile again and bringing such a bright joy into my every day... Thank you for loving me and my family," she posted in May.
While Lea has definitely had to deal with her fair share of trials and tribulations, she's extremely proud of what she's been able to accomplish.
"I'm so proud of my success. I'm really proud of the life I've built and created for myself," she tells the mag. "I've kept my head on my shoulders to get to where I am. 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."
It's great to see that Michele is doing great these days -- what do you think about the actress' candid comments? Tell toofab in the comment section below!
