Lady Gaga says she is not in love with Bradley Cooper, but thank you anyway

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Photo / Getty

Grab a tissue and say it with us: Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are not in love.

The co-stars got people talking with their steamy Academy Awards performance of Shallow, the showstopping, Oscar-winning song from A Star Is Born. Most of it was in good fun, but, you know, the internet can get a bit carried away. Thankfully, Gaga is here to clear up the rumours.

Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga walk the red carpet ahead of the 'A Star Is Born Red' screening during the 75th Venice Film Festival. Photo / Getty

The singer, toting her Oscar in a bag (seriously), appeared on Wednesday's Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she addressed the hubbub: No, she and Cooper are not running off into the sunset together. They are two ACTORS who were ACTING while singing a LOVE SONG from a MOVIE at an awards ceremony celebrating ACTORS at the top of their craft (emphasis mostly ours). Here's how Gaga put it:

"First of all, like, social media quite frankly is the toilet of the internet and what it has done to pop culture is just abysmal," she told Kimmel. "And yes, people saw love and, guess what, that's we wanted you to see. This is a love song, Shallow. The movie, A Star Is Born, is a love story."

Gaga went on to explain that she and Cooper had "worked so hard" on the performance, practicing throughout the week leading up to the Oscars ceremony. Gaga noted that Cooper, who directed A Star Is Born, also came up with the concept of their highly anticipated duet - from the way it was shot to their dramatic walk up to the dimly lit stage.

Bradley Cooper (L) and Lady Gaga attend the 24th annual Critics' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 13, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. Photo / Getty

"From a performance standpoint, it was so important to both of us that we were connected the entire time," Gaga told Kimmel.

"I mean, look, I've had my arms wrapped around Tony Bennett for three years touring the world," she added. "When you're singing love songs that's what you want people to feel."

"Are you having an affair with Tony Bennett?" Kimmel joked. Gaga gave a coy glance before breaking into a laugh. "No!" she said. "No, I'm an artist and I guess we did a good job. Fooled ya!"

Gaga described rooting for Cooper, who ditched the gruff, Sam Elliott-inspired voice of his Star Is Born character during the stripped-down performance.

"Bradley's a musician," Gaga explained. "My favourite thing about the whole experience was I was just so excited for people - not only at home - but our peers in the room to see him sing live and know that he sang every take in this movie live, every single time. I mean, all of it. There was no lip-syncing."

And even though she was on stage with him, Gaga recalled having a similar reaction to Cooper's singing as many of us watching on our TV screens: "When we started and he starts singing 'Tell me something, girl,' the whole audience started cheering and I was like 'Yes, Bradley! Yes, they love it, keep going!'"