Lady Gaga has spoken out about her "hideous" past relationships with men, that have left her convinced of "an inability to know what happiness feels like."

In an unusually frank interview with Vanity Fair, Gaga admitted that most of her exes ended up hating her.

"I have never felt truly cherished by a lover. I have an inability to know what happiness feels like with a man," the Just Dance singer said. "I think what it really is, is that I date creative people. And I think that's what intimidates them is not my purse, it's my mind.

"It starts out good. Then when I'm in these relationships with people who are also creative, or creative in their own way, what happens is the attraction is initially there and it's all unicorns and rainbows. And then they hate me. It's a hideous place to be in when someone that you love has convinced you that you will never be good enough for anyone."

The 25-year-old star said that when she broke up with previous flames, many of them tried to win her back by proposing - but the tactic never worked.

"How f***in’ romantic, you a**hole," she said, describing her reaction. "Sure pop a ring on my finger and make it all better. I can buy myself a f***in' ring!"

Gaga said her millions of fans, whom she often refers to as little monsters, helped her draw a line under difficult relationships.

"When I fight with someone I'm in a relationship with, I think, 'What would my fans think if they knew this was happening?,'" she said. "How would they feel about my work and about me as a female if they knew I was allowing this to go on? And then I get out [of the relationship]."

The star has recently appeared as the protagonist of a holiday window display at Barneys in New York (above, photos two and three).

Gaga has never felt truly loved