"Glee" star Cory Monteith has checked into a rehab facility to deal with unspecified substance abuse issues. Monteith, 30, who plays Finn Hudson on the hit Fox series, "voluntarily admitted himself to a treatment facility" a representative told People magazine.

His decision earned support from co-star and girlfriend Lea Michele, 26, who told the magazine, "I love and support Cory and will stand by him through this. I am grateful and proud he made this decision."

The pair went public with their relationship last April and have been spotted at a number of events around Los Angeles in the past year.

This is not Monteith's first attempt to get sober. In a 2011 interview with Parade magazine, Monteith said he had first entered rehab at 19. Already skipping school at 13 to drink and smoke pot, Monteith attended 12 different schools, including alternative programs for troubled teens.

"I burned a lot of bridges," he said. "I was out of control." At the time, he said he had a "serious problem" and was using "anything and everything, as much as possible." His mother and some friends staged an intervention when he was 19 and he was sober for a while, but went back to drugs until he had his "crystallizing event," which included him stealing a significant amount of money from a family member.

He went public with his former struggles in 2011, he said, in order to help others who might be fighting addiction. "I don't want kids to think it's okay to drop out of school and get high, and they'll be famous actors, too," he said. "But for those people who might give up: Get real about what you want and go after it."

The current season of "Glee" has two more episodes left to shoot and filming will proceed as scheduled, according to Deadline Hollywood. The absence of Monteith's character will be explained in the plotlines.

"Cory is a beloved member of the 'Glee' family and we fully support his decision to seek treatment," the show's network said in a statement. "Everyone at the show wishes him well and looks forward to his return."