Lea Michele makes her first on-stage appearance at the Teen Choice Awards, to accept an award for Best Actress
Lea Michele dedicated her Teen Choice 'Best Actress' Award to her late boyfriend Cory Monteith in her first emotional speech since his death.
Wearing her 'Cory' namesake necklace, Lea fought back tears as she made a brave first stage appearance since the death of her on and off-screen boyfriend, who died of a drug and alcohol overdose just six weeks ago.
Lea was supported on stage by her Glee cast-mates Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz and Amber Riley, as she said: 'I just wanted to be here today to personally thank all of you and tell everyone how much your love and support has helped me over these past few very difficult weeks.'
The room was filled with tears and gasps at Lea's bravery as she went on to say how big an impact Cory had made on the entertainment industry and how big the hole would be that he'd left in people's hearts.
She said: 'He [Cory] was very special to me and also to the world and we were very lucky to have witnessed his incredible talent his handsome smile and his beautiful, beautiful heart.'
With a smile on her face but tears in her eyes, Lea expressed her gratitude to have known his work as well as known him personally.
'Whether you knew him as a person or just as Finn Hudson,' she continued. 'Cory reached out and he became a part of all of our hearts - and that's where he'll stay forever.'
In the immediate aftermath of Cory's death Lea has attempted to get back to life as she knew it, returning to the set of Glee to record her first song for season 5 and work on a tribute for the late actor's death, as part of the upcoming series.
The Glee actress has surrounded herself with good friends, last week attending a baby shower for her friend Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and regularly taking to Twitter to thank her incredible fans for aiding her recovery.
To conclude her thank you speech, Lea said, 'Not that i had any doubt before but you guys are most certainly the greatest fans in the world.'
'I promise that with your love we're going to get through this together,' she said.
We're incredibly proud of Lea for staying so strong and showing us what she's made of.
LEA MICHELE SHARES FIRST PICTURE FROM RETURN TO GLEE SET
CORY MONTEITH'S FINAL FINAL TO DEBUT AT TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL
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