Lea Michele paid a tearful tribute to the late Cory Monteith – her long-term boyfriend and fellow-Glee star – at last night's Teen Choice Awards.

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In her first public appearance since Monteith's death last month, Michele thanked fans for their ongoing support, saying: "I wanted to be here today to personally thank all of you and tell everyone out there how much all of your love and support has meant to me."

Taking to the stage to accept the award for Best Actress, she continued: "I wanted to dedicate this award to Cory, for all of you out there who loved and admired Cory as much as I did, I promise that with your love we're gonna get through this together.

“He was very special to me and also to the world. And we were very lucky to witness his incredible talent, handsome smile and his beautiful, beautiful heart.

“So whether you knew him personally or just as Finn Hudson, Cory reached out and became a part of all of our hearts – and that's where he'll stay forever."

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The 26-year-old was joined on stage by Glee stars Jenna Ushkowitz, Amber Riley and Kevin McHale. Glee, which is going into its fifth series, also won the award for TV comedy.

The cast is currently filming three episodes of a new series, one of which will be a tribute to Monteith and his character Finn Hudson – dealing with the real-life circumstances surrounding his death – before the show goes on a "long hiatus."

Monteith was found dead in a hotel room in Canada on 13 July. Autopsy results revealed that the 31-year-old star had died of an overdose of heroin and alcohol. Monteith had openly stuggled with addiction during his life, most recently checking into rehab in April of this year.

Watch Lea Michele's speech here:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHllyu_4vps

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