Lea Michele talks finding love after Cory

Lea Michele wanted to ensure she was "a whole person again" before finding love after the death of Cory Monteith.

Lea and Cory met on the set of US TV show Glee and were dating at the time of his death in 2013. He passed away aged 31 from a mixed drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol.

Lea has now found love again with model Matthew Paetz, but it took her a long time to feel open to a new relationship.

"I wanted to make sure that I was OK 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 told Flare magazine. "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."

Lea's friends were invaluable in helping her deal with her grief when Cory passed away. She cites Emma Roberts as one of her best pals these days, explaining she is always impressed by how outspoken the star is.

Lea surrounds herself with people who push each other to be the best they can be, and she finally feels able to be proud of everything she's achieved.

"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. 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," she said.