Gaga defended 1D after they were booed

Los Angeles - Lady Gaga threatened to leave after One Direction were booed at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

The group received a surprisingly negative reaction when they collected the gong for Song of the Summer - for their hit single Best Song Ever - and while they took it in their stride, they still had the support of the Applause singer.

Seen backstage after the boy band accepted their award, Gaga was heard saying: "Don't you dare let those people boo you. If I did hear what I heard out there, I just want to tell you that you deserve every bit of success that you have.

"I want to leave right now. I don't want to stay anymore because I don't want to be in a room where people are booing."

One Direction thanked fans for support

Liam Payne took to his Twitter account and thanked the star for her kind words.

He wrote: '"Morning everyone what a night it was would like to thank @ladygaga for her support yesterday and her extraordinary outfits."

Earlier in the night, Taylor Swift was seemingly caught on camera turning to Selena Gomez and telling ex-boyfriend Harry Styles to "shut the f**k up" while his was on stage with his band mates to present the award for Best Pop Video.