Lea Michele Opens Up About Dating Cory Monteith, Says ‘I Feel Really, Really, Happy’

It’s hardly a secret that “Glee” co-stars Lea Michele and Cory Monteith have been dating in real life for quite some time, but in a new interview for the upcoming January issue of Marie Claire, Michele finally opened up about their relationship for the first time.

Michele, 26, and Monteith, 30, first met in 2009 as onscreen love interests Rachel and Finn on the set of “Glee,” and have been rumored to be dating since last fall, around the time that Michele split from actor boyfriend Theo Stockman.

“I don’t even remember a time when he wasn’t my boyfriend,” Michele said of Monteith. “No one knows me better than Cory. He makes me feel like I can do anything. For the first time in my life, I feel really, really settled and happy. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

Michele’s high praises of Monteith probably won’t come as a shock to those who work with the couple. Although working relationships can sometimes take a turn for the disastrous, Michele and Monteith’s “Glee” co-stars are reportedly thrilled with the match, and say that the couple share a strong bond, according to Hollywood Life.

“Before a scene they have been seen saying, ‘I love you! Good Luck!’ and then at the end of the shooting day they have been seen saying, ‘I love you’ and embracing or kissing before leaving set,” said a source close to the “Glee” set told the publication back in April. “Everyone on set is really happy with what they are seeing with the relationship.”

As for Michele, she says that having a professional relationship with Monteith has helped her work better as well. “I love working with Cory, I always have,” she told People at Glee’s season four premiere in Los Angeles. “He really, really inspires me, and he motivates me and I think he's just so talented. Working with him has been one of the best experiences of this whole process.”

While on the topic of her “Glee” life Michele also took the opportunity to dispel some of the rumors that she can be something of a “diva” on set, saying, "I am a very outspoken person, and if something makes me uncomfortable, you will know that it makes be uncomfortable, but that's as far as it goes."

Back in September, sources claimed that “Glee” guest star Kate Hudson complained about having to work closely with Michele, saying her antics were unprofessional and overly demanding. "Kate says Lea is a nightmare,” said a source for US Weekly. “Once, during a technical delay, Lea snapped her fingers and said, 'Let's go. I have plans!'"

But according to Michele, the quote was a fabrication. "I can assure you that [the rumors] aren't real,” she said. “It's super-frustrating sometimes, and I used to fight back, but now I feel like, you can think what you want to think about me - that's OK.”

Michele said that Hudson even personally called her up after reading a tabloid story about their alleged feud, just to let her know that the story wasn’t true, and commend her for her job on the show. “I just heard about that, and it f---ing sucks. I want you to know I think you’re amazing” Michele said Hudson told her. “[Kate Hudson] went straight to the top of my list because it was so classy of her to take a minute to [address the rumor], even though we both knew it was the biggest piece of crap in the whole world. I told her ‘I love you, and I adore you. Thank you so much for creating a human moment with me.’”