Lea Michele, the girlfriend and co-star of the late Cory Monteith, has expressed her gratitude to fans via Twitter. The actress tweeted to her fans: "thank you all for helping me through this time with your enormous love and support".

Lea Michele
Lea Michele at the 2013 PaleyFest Icon Awards, Beverly Hills.

Monteith was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room on 13th July where he had overdosed on a mix of heroin and alcohol. Michele, following Monteith's death, remained silent until yesterday (29th July) when she finally spoke out saying: "Cory will forever be in my heart".  She also attached a photo of the couple smiling together. 

Michele's representatives have kept her fans informed throughout this period and requested that her privacy be respected. In a July 16th statement, Michele's representative said "Lea is deeply grateful for all the love and support she's received from family, friends, and fans", they continued to say "Lea has been grieving alongside his family and making appropriate arrangements with them."

Cory Monteith and Lea Michele
Cory Monteith and Lea Michele at the PaleyFest Icon Awards, Beverly Hills.

Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, intimated that Michele had been a driving force in ensuring the Glee cast had an opportunity to pay tribute to Monteith in the next season. He spoke of Michele with admiration, saying she had handled the tragedy with "humanity and grace".

The decision too has been made regarding Monteith's character in Glee, Finn Hudson, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter Murphy said "the right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass".

Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith at the PaleyFest Icon Awards, Beverly Hills.