It's been two and a half years since Lea Michele tragically lost her boyfriend and "Glee" co-star Cory Monteith, and despite her personal ups and downs along with the media scrutiny, the actress has found love again with current boyfriend Matthew Paetz, who she says Monteith would have liked.
During an interview with Fempire Podcast (via Entertainment Tonight) on Tuesday, the 29-year-old "Scream Queens" star opened up about the social media backlash she received from fans since going public with about her relationship with Paetz about a year after Monteith's death.
Michele said whenever she posted photos of her herself with Paetz on social media, she would receive commented from people who would constantly bring up Monteith's death.
"Over time, I post a picture, and it's just a landslide of comments that talk about my past and bring that up," Michele said of her struggle. "I don't think anyone is projecting hate, but at the end of the day...you should want to be the person that chooses to take that second to do something positive."
Michele also addressed her critics and haters, saying, "They don't know my private life, so I understand that people are going to say whatever they are going to say [but] as long and he and I are good, my family's good, my friends are good, that's all that matters."
Monteith tragically passed away from an overdose of a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol back in July of 2013. Michele met Paetz on the set of the music video "On My Way" in April 2014. According to the "Glee" alum, Paetz respects her respects her prior relationship with Monteith and despite the couple's hardship, Michele said she has truly found her rock in Paetz.
"He is very respectful towards the person that I was with, and that, again, is something I love so much about him," the actress explained, adding, "I really know that Cory would love him too. And that's all that we really hold within our hearts, and so does everyone else in my life."
"At the end of the day, this industry is really tough, and the only way to get through is to create a solid unit, and that's really what we've been since day one," Michele said. "We've stood by each other through anything that was thrown our way. [Matt] is a such a great man that he would never really let anything like that ever crack our lovely little core that we've created."
Listen to the full interview below.
