Lea Michele is trying to stay positive during the holiday season, even though her late boyfriend Cory Monteith will be painfully, noticeably absent. The 27-year-old actress revealed this week that she'll be spending time with her parents, and that one Glee costar in particular has helped her tremendously since the death of the Canadian actor.
"I have my amazing family with me. My mom and my dad — we're just going to do something — the three of us — and spend time [together]," Michele said of the holidays to Extra while being honored at the L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth 2013 event in NYC Tuesday, Dec. 3. "I have the most incredible family. I love my dear friends. They are always there for me and so wonderful. I'm so thankful for them."
One friend in particular just so happens to be this year's Dancing With the Stars champion. "I've got to give a shout out to Miss Amber Riley," the brunette star gushed. "She's the best. I love her so much. I'm so proud of her [and] she's been there for me so much through everything. I'm so thankful this year for those friends and my family."
Michele previously noted that a guest star, Kate Hudson, also helped her through the difficult time.
"I called her and said, I don't know where I'm going to go because my house is swarmed [with reporters]. She was like, 'Oh, you're going to stay at my house.' Like it was nothing," Michele recalled in the December issue of Elle. "She let my family stay there, and any of my friends. She made sure that in the refrigerator were my favorite juices. I'll never really be able to thank her, truly, for what she did for me."
The Bronx native and Monteith confirmed they were dating in early 2012. In July, Monteith died at the age of 31 from a "mixed drug toxicity" consisting of heroin and alcohol.
