Lea Michele was the one who gave [article id="1710956"] "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy[/article] the green light to head back to work when her co-star and real-life boyfriend, Cory Monteith, died back in July.

And while Michele has said very little since [article id="1710670"]Monteith died on July 13[/article] at the age of 31 from a mixed drug toxicity involving drugs and alcohol, she is opening up about how she coped with his passing in a new interview with Elle.

"I called [Kate Hudson] 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. No one knew I was there. I'll never really be able to thank her, truly, for what she did for me," the magazine's cover girl shared of relying on her one-time "Glee" co-star for comfort after Monteith died over the summer in Vancouver.

In the months since Monteith's death, Michele paid tribute to [article id="1712164"]Monteith at the Teen Choice Awards[/article] back in August, and the show has since paid tribute to the late actor, which she touched on in an interview with [article id="1715302"]TV Week[/article]. Additionally, Michele has slowly begun to attend more events and red carpets, including an Elle party last month, after keeping a relatively low profile.

"I never thought I would be in this position in my whole life. Now that I am in this position, you can choose to rise, and that's what I'm going to try to do. I know that Cory would want nothing more than for me to take this situation and use it to help people."

She added, "It's very hard. And you have to be very strong to come out of this alive, but I think by doing the best for myself, by showing that you don't have to lose yourself, maybe someone else will feel some sort of strength or comfort."

"Glee" returns on November 7 in an episode titled "A Katy or A Gaga," during which [article id="1716533"]Adam Lambert will make his "Glee" debut[/article]. It's the show's first episode since the October 10 tribute to Monteith, titled "The Quarterback."