CEBU, Philippines - Glee star Lea Michele is speaking out for the first time about the loss of her boyfriend and Glee co-star Cory Monteith.
The actress took to Twitter to send a message of thanks to her more than 3.5 million fans for their support following Monteith’s passing.
“Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love & support. Cory will forever be in my heart,†she wrote Monday morning, attaching an endearing photo of the duo together (pictured here).
Monteith, her Glee co-star for four seasons and boyfriend of a year-plus, died July 13 at the age of 31. An autopsy revealed that the actor died of “mixed drug toxicity, involving heroin and alcohol.â€
Prior to Monday’s tweet, representatives for Michele indicated the actress was grieving alongside friends and family, including Monteith’s relatives.
“Lea is deeply grateful for all the love and support she’s received from family, friends, and fans,†her reps said in a July 16 statement. “Since Cory’s passing, Lea has been grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them. They are supporting each other as they endure this profound loss together. We continue to ask the media to respect the privacy of Lea and Cory’s family.â€
Michele, who plays Rachel Berry on the Fox musical, had been dating Monteith — her on-screen love interest as well — for more than a year. The young actress regularly compared the beloved Glee couple to Friends’ Ross and Rachel, expressing optimism that the duo would ultimately wind up together.
Fox and producers 20th Century Fox TV have pushed back the fifth-season premiere of Glee to Sept. 26. (FREEMAN)