'I was too ashamed to tell them': Lady Gaga reveals her relatives only learned she had been raped following her emotional Oscars performance

Lady Gaga has revealed that her relatives didn't know she had been raped until she performed at the Oscars.

The singer took to the stage on Sunday night at the prestigious awards ceremony to perform her Oscar-nominated song 'Til It Happens To You from rape documentary The Hunting Ground, which investigated widespread sexual assault on American college campuses. 

And, following the emotive performance - which got a standing ovation - the 29-year-old revealed that it was the first time her grandmother and auntie were aware of the abuse she had received.

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Confession: Lady Gaga has revealed that her auntie and grandmother didn't know she had been raped at age 19 until her emotive Oscars performance on Sunday

Along with a snap of her mother with her other female relatives, the star explained that she had been 'ashamed' to tell them that she is a survivor.

She wrote: 'My grandmother (in the middle) and my Aunt Sheri (on the right) both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor. I was too ashamed. Too afraid.' 

Gaga - whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta - went on to confess that her religion held her back from expressing what had happened to her at the age of 19. 

'And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I'm Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years. 

See Lady Gaga updates as she reveals relatives only learned she'd been raped after Oscars

'I was ashamed': The 29-year-old shared a picture of her mother (left) with her grandmother Ronnie (centre) and aunt Sherie, who had expressed their pride in her after the performance

'The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me 'My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today.' 

The superstar singer then urged others to speak up and come forward should they ever suffer sexual abuse. 

'Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything-- became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of. And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup #tilithappenstoyou.'

Lady Gaga delivered a bone-chilling and haunting rendition of the song at the awards ceremony, leaving not a dry eye in the house on Sunday evening. 

Bringing down the house: Gaga's rendition of her song 'Til It Happens To You from rape documentary The Hunting Ground was a hit on Sunday at the Oscars, held at the Kodak Theatre

Meaningful: Dozens of victims of sexual abuse appeared on stage holding hands behind her as she performed at the piano on stage

At times, she appeared agitated, and others tearful as she powered through the heartfelt ballad that tries to communicate the feelings of somebody who has been violated.

Dozens of victims of sexual abuse appeared on stage holding hands behind her as she performed at the piano on stage. 

Her performance was introduced by Vice President Joe Biden, who urged everyone to take the pledge to intervene where someone appears unable or incapable of giving consent to sexual activity.

However, although she received a standing ovation from the star-studded audience inside the Kodak Theatre - many of whom were in tears - Gaga didn't end up taking home a gold statuette.

Support system: Gaga was joined on the red carpet at the awards ceremony by her fiance Taylor Kinney

Emotions: At the awards ceremony, Lady Gaga was pictured hugging Diane Warren, the co-writer of the song

The Oscar for Best Original Song went instead to English singer and songwriter Sam Smith for Writing's On The Wall, the theme song for the James Bond film Spectre. 

In a red carpet interview televised on ABC prior to the show, Gaga identified herself as 'a survivor' and expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to perform the song and spread awareness. 

'I'm very grateful to the Academy for giving us this world stage to reward survivors for being brave and coming forward,' she said, as she was accompanied by her supportive fiance Taylor Kinney on the red carpet.

Lady Gaga has revealed little detail about the abuse she suffered as a teenager, but did once allude to the fact the man was '20 years older' than she was, and that she never confronted him about it. 

'I don't want to be defined by it,' she told Howard Stern in 2014. 'I'll be damned if somebody's gonna say that every creatively intelligent thing that I ever did is all boiled down to one d***head that did that to me.

'I'm gonna take responsibility for all my pain looking beautiful and all the things I've made out of my strife. I did that.'

Doing her bit: Lady Gaga has urged other suffers - whom she calls 'survivors' - to come forward