It has been three years since Cory Monteith died from what was later determined by the coroner to be mixed drug toxicity involving heroin and alcohol in a Vancouver hotel room. Apparently, Monteith had been having issues with substance abuse since he was 13.
The 31-year-old star portrayed Finn Hudson in the hit series Glee, a character while initially thought to be dumb, gradually turns out to be affable, sensitive, and just naïve, dealing with feelings for cheerleader Quinn Fabray (Diane Agron) and singer Rachel Berry (Lea Michele).
Michele, who had been portraying the romantic interest of Monteith onscreen since the show’s inception in 2009, had been reported by the media to have begun dating Monteith in early 2012. At the time of Monteith’s death in 2013, they had been in a relationship for around a year and a half.
Michele was hit hard by Monteith’s death. They had been a famous couple during the latter’s lifetime, and many had thought them to be the perfect match. On his death, his body was kept for a private viewing by his immediate family, and Michele.
When he went to rehab for the second time, Michele had bravely stood by him. When she had received the news of his death, the then-26 year-old had reportedly been shaking. She was hysterical and devastated.
This sense of loss is clearly present in her recent interview with Women’s Health when she says that she has her down days, which she has now learned to accept as part of her life. The good news is that she is fighting to get over them. According to her, she is at present in the best possible frame of mind and body.
It is in the Nudity issue of Women’s Health that Lea Michele’s tattoo saying ‘Finn’ on her left butt cheek has been famously revealed. In the picture, showing a Lea Michele at possibly her physical best, all her three tattoos dedicated to her ex-boyfriend can be seen.
Under her arm is a number five, a reference to the number of the jersey worn by Finn Hudson who was a quarterback of the McKinley High school football team. This she unveiled in April on Instagram, along with a tattoo of a coffee mug on her ring finger dedicated to her late grandmother.
On her rib cage are the words ‘if you say so’, the last thing that Monteith had said to her before his death, in response to her ‘I love you more’. ‘If you say so’ is also a reference to her single about him which featured in her 2013 debut album Louder.
While many fans are apparently getting foggy vision owing to this latest display of love, it might be surprising to know that the latest tattoo to be known by the world is not new. In fact, she got it in 2011, years before Monteith’s death.
The photo shoot closely follows Lea honoring Cory recently on Twitter. Captioning a photo with Cory having his back turned to the camera while standing on some rocks by a sea beach, she wrote of believing that he still watched over her and that she would always love him.
This Nudity issue of Women’s Health featuring Lea Michele on the cover hit the stands on August the 3rd, and features an extensive interview, in addition to more photos from the shoot. Here, she says that she got hooked to spinning after the closure of Glee, where there was a lot of dancing. It left her feeling empty.
Elaborating on her killer figure, which she acknowledges proudly, she says that she does not have a personal trainer, as she does not need to be motivated by an outside source. Instead, she has enrolled in a SoulCycle course, a spinning cult based in the US.