Lady Gaga, Kinney call off engagement

Pop diva Lady Gaga and actor Taylor Kinney have called off their engagement, reports said Tuesday, more than a year after she thought she had found the right match. The singer has in recent days appeared without her engagement ring in photos she posted on Instagram from the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where she has been volunteering at a charity for needy children. Lady Gaga and actor Taylor Kinney Neither artist or their representatives have commented but celebrity news sites E! News and TMZ both quoted unnamed sources saying they recently broke up. E! News said it was unclear who initiated the split but that they had agreed to keep it private. The 30-year-old Lady Gaga, known for her flamboyant outfits, in February last year showed off on Instagram a simple, heart-shaped engagement ring from Kinney. Kinney popped the question to Gaga, an Italian American whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, over a Valentine’s Day dinner last year at a New York restaurant owned by her family. Gaga met Kinney, now 35, in 2011 when they filmed the video for “You & I” in the open fields of Nebraska — in which she had incidentally worn her mother’s wedding dress. Despite the hints of romance, the video was full of disturbing imagery including the simulated torture of Gaga. Gaga in 2013 told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that Kenney, best known for his role on drama series “Chicago Fire,” was both her lover and best friend, describing the combination as “the best thing ever.” One of the most successful pop artists to emerge in the last decade, Gaga has said that she had trouble in the past sustaining relationships as partners were often intimidated by her success or uncomfortable with her openness about sex, including her bisexuality.