Timeline of Lea Michele and Cory Monteith's Passionate Yet Short-Lived Romance

Lea Michele and Cory Monteith had a passionate relationship that would have been described as a fairytale romance. They were reportedly in a secret relationship after meeting on the "Glee" set before revealing it to the world.

Cory Monteith and Lea Michele were the perfect on-screen couple in "Glee." However, they soon became real-life lovers. The actress revealed that one day they looked at each other and knew they wanted to be together.

They were a couple until his death, and she said she never thought she would be in such a position. However, Lea Michele was glad she got to share her life with Monteith, and they talked about many things.

Losing him left a deep mark on Michele, but the actress said she felt she was given the best part of the actor and was thankful for that. The following year after his death, she said:

"I'm just so glad we're in a new year. I feel physically and emotionally very strong. You don't know how strong you are until you have to be. [...] I always feel that he's watching over me."

The actress also revealed that she was physically and mentally traumatized after his death. After a while, she started doing yoga, and it helped. Let's take a look at their love story.

2009

Michele and Monteith met for the first time when they were cast as on-screen lovers on the set of "Glee." They played their roles convincingly and had great chemistry during interviews.

This led fans to start thinking they were dating in reality. However, at the time, Michele was dating "American Idiot" star Theo Stockman, and Monteith said he was not in a relationship but would keep it private even if he was.

2011

After more than a year of dating, Stockman and Michele ended their relationship in September 2011. Her representative, who confirmed the split, said:

"This is not a dramatic breakup; the relationship just ran its course. They are still friends and will always be friends."

They were a low-profile couple before making their first public appearance at the Time 100 Most Influential People gala in May 2010.

AUGUST 2012

After Michele split up with her then-boyfriend in 2011, many speculated that she and Monteith were dating. However, they did not address the rumors until the following year.

In August 2012, they made their red carpet debut as a couple when they attended the Do Something Awards together, confirming they were an item.

NOVEMBER 2012

No longer having to hide their relationship, Michele and Monteith started posting photos of each other. In November 2012, Monteith took to his Twitter page to share a sweet picture of his girlfriend at a snow resort.

In the image, Michele was seated in the snow in an all-black ensemble, including her ski goggles, as she got ready to strap on her snowboard.

DECEMBER 2012

In December 2012, Michele gave an interview where she dished about her love life. She said:

"I don’t even remember a time when he wasn't my boyfriend. No one knows me better than Cory. No one knows what it's been like to go through this more than he does. Feeling like you have that net underneath you allows you to jump higher and go farther."

She further stated that the actor inspired her, making her feel like she could do anything, and for the first time in her life, she felt settled and happy and like the luckiest girl in the world.

MARCH 2013

Monteith's history of substance abuse started when he was 13. In March 2013, he checked into rehab, and Michele showed her support. She said:

"I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision."

Michele was not the only one rooting for the actor. The producers of "Glee" also put out a statement showing their support for the actor.

JULY 2013

Monteith died of an overdose on July 13, 2013, at Hotel Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, Canada. An autopsy revealed that he had a combination of drugs and alcohol in his system at the time of his death.

Michele took time to deal with her grief and, several weeks later, she thanked everyone who supported her via an Instagram post. In the caption, she said:

"Thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love and support. Cory will forever be in my heart."

NEVER FORGOTTEN

Michele keeps the memory of Monteith alive. She said she felt that their powerful love for each other morphed into the strength she found to deal with his death.

Every year, she never fails to remember him on the anniversary of his death. In 2015, she got a tattoo of the number five in memory of her quarterback, whose jersey number was five on "Glee."

In 2019, Michele got another tattoo to honor Monteith as she inked his "Glee" character name "Finn" on her upper left thigh. In July 2020, she shared a black and white photo of the actor holding flowers.

Michele shared another black-and-white photo of Monteith on her Instagram to mark the eighth anniversary of his death. She added a small red heart emoji to the picture of him waving at a crowd of people.