Cory Monteith doesn't have "time" to date Taylor Swift.

The 'Glee' hunk - who portrays Finn Hudson in the musical drama series - thinks the country singing sensation Taylor Swift is "lovely" but claims he doesn't have time for romance.

Speaking to US TV host Ellen Degeneres, he said: "I don't know where the time is to date these days."

The 29-year-old actor - who was first romantically linked to Taylor, 20, after the Grammy Awards in February - denied he was in a relationship with the star.

He said: "No, we're just friends. It's cute. She's lovely."

When the talk show host joked that they should be more than friends, Corey retorted: "Stop it!"

It had recently been reported that Taylor had been trying to keep her new relationship under wraps to prevent her protective mother Andrea, who is also her manager, from finding out.

A source told the National Enquirer magazine: "Taylor is actually pretending not to be interested in Cory so her mother doesn't scare him off.

"Taylor's figured out she better not have any serious mother-daughter conversations about her love life or the relationship will be doomed from the get-go. Taylor really likes Cory, and she's telling friends she sees real romantic possibilities with him."