Lea Michele has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of boyfriend and Glee co-star Cory Monteith.

The 31-year-old Canadian passed away in July in a hotel room after consuming a deadly cocktail of heroin and alcohol.

Michele picked up the TV Actress: Comedy prize at last night's (August 11) Teen Choice Awards and she decided to use her time on stage to dedicate the win to Monteith. She said emotionally:

"I just 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 over these very past difficult few weeks. 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."

A picture of Monteith meanwhile was shown on a screen at the event.