Lea Michele is finally opening up about how she was able to find love again after Cory Monteith

Lea Michele and Cory Monteith had a romance that makes even the cynic in us get the warm-fuzzies.

The Glee costars, who played the ambitious, lovably-obnoxious Rachel Barry and the athletic, sweet yet not-terribly-bright Finn Hudson respectively, met on set in 2009. Rumors began circulating that the pair were a real-life couple almost immediately.

However, it wasn’t until 2012 that the two began officially dating. Glee fans everywhere rejoiced, and even those who didn’t watch the show had to admit that the pair were pretty cute.

Tragically, Cory Monteith died in July 2013 and Michele, his Glee costars, and fans were all heartbroken. But, from the beginning, Michele faced everything with immense bravery, opening up to the press shortly after with nothing but appreciation for Monteith and the time she spent with him.

Now, two years later, Michele continues to honor him, posting a beautiful message of remembrance to Twitter on the anniversary of his death. Michele has also found love again, with actor Matthew Paetz.

According to Seventeen Magazine, Michele met Paetz on the set of her music video, “On My Way.” The two have been dating for over a year, but Michele acknowledges that moving on from the loss of Monteith and becoming ready for a new relationship wasn’t easy.

As she shared with Flare magazine: “I wanted to make sure I was okay with me, feeling strong and feeling happy on my own. I didn’t want anyone to fill any holes for me…”

She goes on to drop some serious wisdom about where she needed to be to find new love: “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.”

Now Michele, who is one of the stars of the hotly-anticipated Scream Queens, seems to be that whole person again. She says, “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 goes on to refer to Paetz, saying, “And that’s when someone miraculously came into my life.”

We wish Michele all the best in finding those beautiful experiences—and we can’t wait to watch the show.

(Image via FOX.)