Lea Michele made her first public appearance with her boyfriend Matthew Paetz, a former gigolo, and said she didn't care about the past

Seems things are heating up between Lea Michele and her new boyfriend Matthew Paetz. After a lot of speculations about their relationship, the couple made their first public appearance last week. The two looked super cute walking side by side in El Lay, before stopping at a picnic table to chat during their public outing.  They've also been spending quality time together and were spotted hiking around Hollywood a few days ago.

Michele has just come out of mourning the loss of her boyfriend and "Glee" co-star Cory Monteith and it seems like she's found comfort in someone completely different from Monteith. This hasn't gone down too well with many fans, especially when Michele's new boyfriend's ex-profession is taken into consideration. Earlier reports confirmed that Paetz was formerly a gigolo coach. The actress has faced a lot of criticism for this but she says she doesn't care.

According to TMZ, the actress said she will continue to date Paetz because she's convinced he's not a gigolo but only a "dating coach." The tabloid also reported that Paetz was open to Michele about going out with a few girls but he said it was only because he wanted to get a feel of what gigolos experienced so that he could coach them better. He's also promised her that he'll never do it again.

Another media report said that Michele was taking things slow with Paetz because she's still reeling from the loss of her previous boyfriend.

"It's still very new, but they are enjoying each other's company. Lea's not stupid, so she's not jumping into anything. So far, it's an honest and happy relationship. Whatever his past may be, their current relationship is based on honesty," a source said, according to Hollywood Life.

So why's Michele dating a former gigolo when she can have just about any guy in the world? It's the support she gets from him and the comfort level she has with him.

"Lea feels like she can be her silly self with him, [and] that he brings that out in her," the source added. "He's also a huge animal lover like Lea and shares Lea's fondness of Barbara Streisand movies like Funny Girl and The Way We Were. Matt is this good looking, muscular guy, but deep down is a softie with the biggest heart! Overall he's a super nice guy and Lea is so deserving of being happy after all she's been through."

Truth be told, it really doesn't matter what Paetz did in the past. As long as he can keep Michele happy, there's nothing better!