The Truth About Cory Monteith's Relationship With Lea Michele
Lifestyle - News
By HANNAH RICE
He was 'intimidated'
Before he met her, Cory Monteith admitted to doing some internet sleuthing on Lea Michele, and said that their first meeting “intimidated” him because she was “very talented.” Michele was a Broadway star at the time, while Monteith had never even seen a musical, but these differences didn’t stop the pair from connecting.
Dating in secret
Rumors of "Monchele” as a couple began soon after Glee’s 2009 premiere, but Monteith was quick to state that Michele and himself were “just friends.” Despite his adamance, it turns out that Monteith and Michele really were dating in the show’s early days, as revealed by Michele in a 2013 exclusive; she called it a “well-kept secret.”
They broke up
Michele and Monteith's first relationship together turned out to be short-lived, and they went back to being just friends again. They were able to keep their romantic dealings out of the tabloids, which was important for Monteith, since he valued privacy and had anxiety about public breakups and the “bad press” they receive.
Still flirting
After their split, Michele dated fellow singing superstar Theo Stockman, but this didn’t stop Michele and Monteith from being flirty with each other, as seen in a behind-the-scenes Teen Vogue video. Michele broke up with Stockman in September 2011, just months before she and Monteith became a couple again.
The announcement
Even after getting back together, Monteith didn't confirm his relationship with Michele until a 2012 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Michele called this moment “one of [her] favorite memories” and explained that it wasn’t an easy thing to do for Monteith, given that “he was such a private person.”