Here's How Lea Michele And Zandy Reich Actually Met
Lea Michele landed her breakout television role when she was cast as Rachel Berry on the Fox hit show Glee. The actress also met Cory Monteith, who played her on-screen love interest, Finn Hudson. While the two met on set in 2009, it wasn't until 2012 that their romance spilled off the screen and into their real lives, per ABC News. Of course, most know how this story ends.
Monteith suddenly and tragically passed away in July 2013, leaving his co-stars — Michele, in particular — to pick up the pieces. After Monteith's death, Michele dated Matthew Paetz for almost two years before the two split in early 2016, per Entertainment Tonight. However, the actress eventually met the man she would marry: Zandy Reich. Reich represented a change of pace from Michele's previous partners, including co-stars Matthew Morrison and John Lloyd Young.
According to a Life&Style magazine source, Michele "loves that's he's not an actor and has no desire to be in the spotlight." Since Reich is not very involved in show business, Michele and her hubby crossed paths a different way.
Where Lea Michele became the 'happiest girl in the world'
In typical rom-com fashion, Lea Michele met her husband, Zandy Reich, at a wedding. "They always say 'It will happen when you least expect it. It will happen when you least expect it!' And I met my fiancé at my best friend's wedding," Michele told wedding company Zola's brand director, Jennifer Spector, in 2019 (via Life&Style). In the interview with Spector, Michele explained (via Insider) that she originally sat next to her future husband until a friend came up and asked Reich to move so she could sit closer to Michele. Though Michele said they didn't talk for a while, she recalled her best friend Stephanie (the bride), saying, "You should really hang out with Zandy."
It's safe to say that Stephanie was right. Although the two were friends before they were romantically linked, Michele and Reich became official in 2017. They announced their engagement a year later and tied the knot in March 2019. If Michele's Instagram is any indication, she is loving married life. Don't believe us? Take her word for it. A year after their engagement, Michele said she was the "happiest girl in the world."
The couple welcomed a son named Ever Leo in August 2020, per People. Michele called him her "true blessing," sharing her first photo of him on Instagram. Michele overcame tragedy and, with Reich by her side, seemingly found peace.