Lea Michele 'completely broke' after Cory Monteith's death
The 38-year-old actress - who shot to fame playing Rachel Berry in 'Glee' - dated her co-star from 2012 until his shock death from a heroin and alcohol overdose in July 2013, and not only did she find having to grieve in the public eye "so sad, so depressing", she felt the tragedy "fractured" many of the off-screen bonds on the show.
She told the 'Therapuss with Jake Shane' podcast: "It was so unbelievable but I just had to keep going, I wasn't allowed to stop."
Asked if Cory's death had helped the cast "band together", she added: "No, I think it really fractured so much. I mean again, I can't speak for everyone, I think in some ways it did for certain people, but I think that ... for me it was so hard to I just completely broke."
Although she thanked the cast and particularly the crew for "holding [her] up so much", she added: "A lot of [the original cast] were gone by then which was hard."
Lea - who has two children, Every, four, and nine-month-old Emery, with husband Zandy Reich - has remained close to some of her former co-stars, including Dianna Agron and Darren Criss, and they will always be "family" to her.
She said: "To me it's like there is such a comfort because we all really did go through something that only we will ever understand, so it's just, I feel so safe with them and so comfortable — family forever.'
The actress has very clear memories of her time on the show and what was going on behind the scenes at the time.
Asked if there was anything happening backstage that she wished the people watching knew about, she said: 'Literally everything … we were all so young and everybody was growing up and falling in love and for me that was a huge part of the whole experience for me ... was my, this great love.
"It was so unbelievable that you would be watching the show and when I watch it I can tell you exactly ... I'd be like 'Oh, that day I was sobbing in my dressing room.' Or, 'That day was the best day in the world' ... But the only people that know all of that were the people who were in that room."
Lea also teased that she may "write a book" one day about her "wild" experiences during the filming of 'Glee'.
She added: "The show means so much to me, the work that I did, and I love Rachel so much."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
Tyra Banks recalls her Victoria's Secret card being declined
Tyra Banks' Victoria's Secret Angel Card has been declined at a store in Los Angeles. The 51-year-old star spent more than a decade as a Victoria's Secret model, and she was ultimately gifted an Angel Card by the lingerie brand. Tyra explained on Today with Jenna and Friends: "I had a Free Angels card that the head of Victoria's Secret gave me. "They were like, 'Forever. We love you so much. You have this card, and you can go to any shop forever and shop forever with no cap on it.' So I would get lingerie for myself, matching tops and bottoms, every collection that came out, I got it." However, after Tyra rejected a new contract with Victoria's Secret, the benefit was soon taken away from her. She said: "I was like, 'I don't want to. I want to be a talk show host. I don't want to do it.' And they let me have that Angel card for a year later and they said, 'Give it back, baby!'" The model subsequently recalled her card being declined at a store in Los Angeles. She shared: "I hate saying this on national TV! I hate saying this ... It was in like a suburb store in Los Angeles off of the freeway. But oh my gosh, guess what happened, Jenna? I don't match anymore!" Asked if she'd ever consider working with Victoria's Secret again, Tyra replied: "I would do a deal if you gave me my card back. Let's start there. That's the most important thing. I want my card and then I have to represent the brand." Despite this, Tyra admitted that just wants her underwear to feel comfortable, rather than sexy, these days. The runway star - who has also enjoyed success as an actress, starring in shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Glee - said: "I feel like I've forgotten myself, being an entrepreneur, being a mommy, and I just want comfort. I have the same underwear that I just keep washing and wearing and washing and wearing."
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Perth Now
Dianna Agron unveils 'incredibly personal' fashion collection
Dianna Agron found it a "joy" to work on her "incredibly personal" fashion collection for clothing brand La Ligne. The Glee star has teamed up with the company to co-create her own range of pieces that reflect her style which includes the Dianna Cardigan and Dianna Tank as well as skirts dresses and a trench coat, which retails for $495. Dianna told WWD: "This collection is incredibly personal to me. It was a joy to create something that reflects my style, while staying true to the essence of La Ligne - timeless, wearable, and effortlessly chic." The 39-year-old actress went on to reveal she's been fascinated by clothing construction after watching her mother sew when she was a child and seeing costume designers work on the sets of her TV and film projects. She added: "As someone who steps behind the camera a lot as a director, you really have to understand so much about storytelling ... "So between watching that in the home [my mother sewing] and seeing that on set and working with costume designers that I so deeply admire ... "It was so absolutely joyful to be able to step into this role of collaborator with these women that I admire so much ... I'm so curious, and I always want to just learn to the full extent of the experience." The collection launches online and in select stores on Thursday (17.07.25). Dianna has previously revealed she feels most "comfortable" when wearing a suit, but she's only felt able to incorporate more formalwear into her wardrobe over the last few years. She told W magazine: "Oftentimes, I feel most comfortable in a suit. While I always admired women who wore a lot of suiting - like Katharine Hepburn and Diane Keaton - it never was something that I incorporated into my wardrobe until the last couple of years. "But it's an easy go-to that I know will make me feel like myself. While there are exceptions to every stylistic choice, I would rather you see me as I am in my presence more than notice an article of clothing I'm wearing. She added of her shoe choices: "I definitely like a flat shoe, because I love to dance. After so many years of wearing heels, I would never want to be inhibited by the shoe I'm wearing."
News.com.au
30-06-2025
- News.com.au
Tragic development after Glee star Cory Monteith's shock death
Cory Monteith's mother has passed away just days before the 12th anniversary of her Glee star son's death. Ann Marie McGregor died 'peacefully' on June 18 following an unspecified illness, according to her obituary. She was 74, reports the New York Post. 'Ann enjoyed her time gardening, along with her artistic pursuits on her acreage in Shirley, BC, together with Cornelius, Harley and her love birds,' her obit read. 'Ann was a person of strong character and she carried that throughout her life.' Besides Cory, McGregor was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her son and Cory's older brother, Shaun Monteith. McGregor's passing also comes just over a month after the late Glee star's father, Joe Monteith, died on May 12 following a serious illness. He was 75. Joe and McGregor had divorced in 1989, and he and Cory were estranged for most of the young actor's life. 'It is with great sadness that the family of Joseph Allan Monteith announces his passing on Monday, May 12, 2025, at the age of 75,' Joe's obituary read. 'His love and positive outlook on life will be missed by all of us.' Joe is survived by his second wife, Yvette Monteith, and his only remaining child with McGregor, Shaun. The death of Cory's parents came nearly 12 years after the Glee star passed away on July 13, 2013, after an accidental drug overdose at 31. Both his parents spoke out in the wake of the actor's shocking death, and his mum claimed that Cory turned to drugs because he 'wasn't ready for the Hollywood world.' 'Drugs were his way of checking out,' she told People in 2018. 'Cory didn't want to die. There is no doubt about that.' McGregor also lamented that her famous son still had his whole life ahead of him. 'Cory was such a loving and genuine person. And the best part of his life was still ahead,' she said. 'He wanted a wife and kids. He would have made a beautiful father. He had accomplished so much. He was ready to step out of Hollywood and really live. He had so much to look forward to,' Cory's mum concluded. As for Cory's father, he said that the Glee star 'should have known not to touch' the drugs that ultimately took his life. The coroner's report found that Cory died from a lethal combination of alcohol and heroin. 'It's just ripping my insides out and tearing me apart,' Joe told People shortly after his estranged son's death. 'I don't want to see any parent lose a child over heroin.' Lea Michele, who not only starred alongside Cory as Rachel Berry on Glee but was also dating the actor at the time of his death, recently said that she 'just completely broke' after his passing. 'I was 26 and no one handed me a guidebook. It was a fast education on more stuff than I could ever even process,' she said on the Therapuss with Jake Shane podcast last month. Michele, 38, added that Cory's death 'fractured' the cast of Glee. 'I think it really fractured so much,' she said. 'I mean, I can't speak for everyone — I think that maybe, in some ways, it did for certain people. But I think that for me, it was so hard to. I just completely broke.' Glee, which premiered on Fox in May 2009, continued for two more seasons after Cory's 2013 death. The show's sixth and final season ended in March 2015 after 121 episodes. 'The Quarterback,' a special episode that served as a tribute to both Cory and his Glee character Finn Hudson, aired in October 2013. 'It's an episode I was able to watch once, and I never looked at it again,' Ryan Murphy, the show's creator, said about the emotional special. Murphy also admitted that he should have ended Glee after Cory's tragic death. 'If I had to do it again, we would've stopped for a very long time and probably not come back,' Murphy said on the And That's What You Really Missed podcast in 2022. 'I would be like, 'that's the end,'' he added. 'Because you can't really recover from something like that.'
