Lea was left devastated when the Canadian star succumbed to his heroin and alcohol addictions in July last year.
The Bronx beauty has admitted she is still grieving the death of her long-time boyfriend, and revealed in a recent interview that he was her biggest cheerleader.
"My relationship with Cory made me feel like I could reach for the stars and more," Michele told Teen Vogue. "He would be like, 'You're going to be a pop star.'"
The singer-actress relies on her memories of Monteith and the love they shared to give her strength to make her dreams a reality.
When it comes to dating and meeting someone new, Michele isn't "quite there yet."
"I'm focusing on my job and taking care of myself," Michele told the magazine. "Maybe in a little while I'll be like, 'What do I want?' But I'm not quite there yet."
Lea Michele says she feels closer to Monteith now more than ever and that she knows he's watching over her as she prepares to release her first solo album Louder.
Lea candidly spoke about moving on from the loss of her tragic boyfriend.
She explained: "During Glee, I felt like I was scratching that itch of being an artist.
"I was at a great place in my life and I was so unbelievably happy - my relationship with Cory made me feel like I could reach for the stars and more.
"So I was like, 'I'm going to challenge myself and do this record now.'"
Cory Monteith and Lea Michele perform with their Glee castmates. Photo / Getty Images
She went onto reveal that Monteith was a fan of her music: "He would be like, 'You're going to be a pop star! What are we going to do? Are we going to, like, go on the road?'"
Adding: "He would say, 'This is going to be big!' And I'd be like, 'I don't know.'
"He heard every song and gave me notes on everything.
"He loved Battlefield. I'm getting chills thinking about it. I would say Burn With You was his favourite. He came into the studio that day."
Michele was devastated after Monteith was discovered dead last July in a Vancouver hotel room, after overdosing on drugs and alcohol.
But she has found a way to use that loss to fuel her art: "I somehow feel the insane love Cory and I had for each other morphed into this strength that I have right now.
"There's just something about knowing he's watching everything I'm doing and feeling like I have to do everything now not just for me but for him. I also have a safety net below me - if I fall or if it's too much, my friends and family will be there to catch me."
- Daily Mail
