The heartbreaking reason Lady Gaga fled the Critics' Choice Awards after Best Actress win

Lady Gaga rushed away from the Critics' Choice Awards to be with her dying horse.

The 32-year-old singer-and-actress had a lot to celebrate after winning Best Actress for A Star is Born - an honour she shared with The Wife star Glenn Close - and Best Song for the movie's Shallow, but she cut short her night and returned home to be with her beloved pet Arabella in her final hours.

She wrote on social media: "I am so honoured and blessed to have won both Best Song and Best Actress alongside Glenn Close this evening. My heart is exploding with pride. But it saddens me to say that just after the show I learned that my dear angel of a horse, Arabella, is dying.

"I am rushing to her now to say goodbye. Her name means 'yield to prayer.' She is and was a beautiful horse. Our souls and spirits were one. When she was in pain, so was I. I will never forget the moments we shared. Long hikes together, galloping through the canyons. Feeding her cookies.

"She will forever be a part of me. I am so very sad. But I wish for your pain to end, and the gates of heaven to open for you. I love you. Girl, where do you think you're goin'?(sic)"

Earlier in the evening, the Bad Romance hitmaker had spoken of how hard she had to push herself to play struggling singer Ally in the movie.

She told the audience at Santa Monica's Barker Hangar: "I'm so honoured by this. I went to places in my mind and in my heart that I did not know existed...this is a tremendous honour. I feel recognised not just for my performance but for the inner work it took in the creation of this character.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. To relive something that I'm not quite sure I wanted to relive but I was able to be vulnerable in a way that I never have before because of that love and that trust."

Critics' Choice Awards 2019 selected list of winners:

FILM

Best Picture: 'Roma' 

Best Actor: Christian Bale - 'Vice' 

Best Actress - Tie: Glenn Close - 'The Wife' and Lady Gaga - 'A Star Is Born' 

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali - 'Green Book'

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King - 'If Beale Street Could Talk' 

Best Acting Ensemble: 'The Favourite' 

Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón - 'Roma' 

Best Animated Feature: 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' 

Best Action Movie: 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' 

Best Comedy: 'Crazy Rich Asians' 

Best Actor In A Comedy: Christian Bale - 'Vice' 

Best Actress In A Comedy: Olivia Colman - 'The Favourite' 

Best Sci-Fi Or Horror Movie: 'A Quiet Place'

Best Foreign Language Film: 'Roma' 

Best Song: Shallow - 'A Star Is Born' (Warner Bros.)

Best Score: Justin Hurwitz - 'First Man' (Universal)

TELEVISION

Best Drama Series: 'The Americans' 

Best Actor In A Drama Series: Matthew Rhys - 'The Americans' 

Best Actress In A Drama Series: Sandra Oh - 'Killing Eve' 

Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series: Noah Emmerich - 'The Americans' 

Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: Thandie Newton - 'Westworld'

Best Comedy Series: 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' 

Best Actor In A Comedy Series: Bill Hader - 'Barry' 

Best Actress In A Comedy Series: Rachel Brosnahan - 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' 

Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series: Henry Winkler - 'Barry' 

Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series: Alex Borstein - 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' 

Best Limited Series: 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story' 

Best Movie Made For Television: 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert' (NBC)

Best Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television: Darren Criss - 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'

Best Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television - Tie: Amy Adams - 'Sharp Objects' and Patricia Arquette - 'Escape at Dannemora' 

Best Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television: Ben Whishaw - 'A Very English Scandal' 

Best Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television: Patricia Clarkson - 'Sharp Objects' 

Best Animated Series: 'BoJack Horseman' 

- Bang! Showbiz