United Kingdom, March 9 -- Lady Gaga had to "endure a lot" during her early days of fame.

The 38-year-old pop star - whose real name is Stefani Germanotta - emerged on the music scene in the late 2000s with hits such as 'Poker Face' and 'Bad Romance' but admitted that all that success "took [her] far away" from herself and she was "hardened" by her experience, although things are very different these days.

She told The Sunday Times: "I'm just a much more stable, healthy human than I was for the last 20 years.

"The music industry took over my life when I was younger. It took me far away from myself and I had to endure a lot and it hardened me, for sure. It took me a while to find my feet."

The 'Disease' hitmaker - who has just released...