‘Glee’ Star Lea Michele: ‘I Was A Ballsy Little Kid’

From Broadway… to primetime… to cover girl – “Glee” star Lea Michele has had an eventful couple of years.

The 24-year-old Emmy nominee, whom Glamour magazine dubbed “Little Miss Big-Time,” graces the cover of the magazine’s October issue wearing nothing but a bra-baring short and sexy off-the-shoulder sweater. Inside of the issue, the ingenue dishes all about her career, including how she got her showbiz start at the age of eight.

“I didn’t know I could sing until I auditioned for Les Miserables,” Lea told the mag. “My friend was auditioning, and I wanted to audition too… I was a ballsy little kid. I felt no fear at all.”

The bubbly brunette — who called the “Glee” cast her “family” — revealed she was initially worried she and costar Amber Riley (who plays fiery Mercedes Jones on the hit FOX show) might “bump heads” due to their “big personalities.”

“She [Amber] has taught me more about myself than anyone,” Lea said. “She inspires me, she protects me, she makes me laugh, she tells me not to take myself so seriously. She’s my Mama Amber.”

As for the star’s love life, Lea is dating fellow Broadway performer Theo Stockman, though the two are now on opposite coasts.

“I would rather be long-distance with him than not have a relationship at all,” she gushed. “He lets me be who I am.”