Lady Gaga delivered a passionate and heartfelt speech as she collected her award for Best Actress at the National Board of Review Awards.

Taking to the stage at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York on Tuesday night, the singer, 32, who was awarded for her impressive performance in A Star Is Born, thanked director Bradley Cooper, 44, for ‘believing in her’ and ‘changing her life’

Gaga proved astonished by Cooper’s repertoire of skills as she praised him as a musician and actor, and likened him to a ‘visionary’ and a ‘magician’ after he directed his own character’s death scene in the critically acclaimed film.

‘Changed my life’: Lady Gaga, 32, delivered a passionate and heartfelt speech as she collected her award for Best Actress at the National Board of Review Awards on Tuesday night

Gaga has been up for a slew of awards during this year’s award season, and she couldn’t have been more humbled and overjoyed as she took to the stage to deliver a thirteen minute speech.

While the star, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, touched upon the character of Ally ‘healing her past experience’, the majority of her speech was dedicated to her friend Bradley.

Gaga began: ‘I would not be standing up here if it weren’t for you, Bradley. Thank you for entrusting me to be the first leading actress in your directorial debut. This is a tremendous honour.

‘Bradley, you truly are a musician. I heard it. I watched it… from the moment you sat at the piano with me and sang, to watching you write songs and watching you create.’

‘Thank you’: The singer who was awarded for her impressive performance in A Star Is Born, thanked director Bradley Cooper for ‘believing in her’

‘I watched you write songs’: Gaga proved astonished by Cooper’s repertoire of skills as she praised him as a musician and actor

‘Modern day directorial Houdini’: The Born This Way hitmaker likened Bradley to a ‘magician’ after he directed his own character’s death scene in the critically acclaimed film

‘This is a tremendous honour’: Gaga couldn’t have been more humbled and overjoyed as she took to the stage to deliver a thirteen minute speech

The New York native continued to gush over Bradley: ‘Thank you for believing me. Being the director, visionary, co-star and friend that you have been.

‘You have taught me so much. You made me a way better actress. I don’t even look back at filming a movie, but rather that we became two people who are not us.

‘Bradley, thank you for making a film about the importance of compassion, empathy and kindness. This is what we stand for. I couldn’t be more happy to be here, which in the name of Jack and Ally, is about true, unconditional love.

‘Bradley, our scenes together were challenging and life-changing as an actress and a human. I would never forgot the deep dives we took together.

‘You made me a way better actress’: The majority of her speech was dedicated to her friend Bradley (Pictured with Steven Spielberg)

‘Reawakening the pain’: The star, real name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, also touched upon the character of Ally ‘healing her past experience’

Family affair: Gaga celebrated her acting win at the National Board of Review gala with her mother Cynthia Germanotta

‘What many of you did not get to witness, for Bradley to direct a scene where he was gone, and for me and Sam Elliott, to mourn his death while he was not three feet from us… this is a magician.

‘You are something of a modern day directorial Houdini. To live and exist in that pain with you, it changed my life.

Gaga celebrated her acting win at the National Board of Review gala with her mother Cynthia Germanotta.

Meanwhile, the songstress oozed old-school Hollywood glamour in a floor-length sleeveless black gown with plunging neckline and high thigh slit for the occasion.

Va va voom! The songstress oozed old-school Hollywood glamour in a floor-length sleeveless black gown with plunging neckline and high thigh slit for the occasion

Wow: The Alejandro singer completed her outfit with black heels and accessorised by carrying black and gold feathers

Mane attraction: Gaga was back to blonde after sporting blue hair on Sunday for the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California

The Alejandro singer completed her outfit with black heels and accessorised by carrying black and gold feathers.

Gaga was back to blonde after sporting blue hair on Sunday for the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California.

She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama but the award went to Glenn Close, 71, for her work in The Wife.

Close call: Gaga was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama but the award went to Glenn Close, 71, for her work in The Wife