Lady Gaga's former manager has revealed that he was taken by surprise when Lady Gaga fired him.

Troy Carter first started working with the 'Applause' lady in 2007 but he was axed prior to the release of Gaga's latest effort 'ARTPOP' in November.

Speaking to Fast Company, the music manager admitted that he wasn't expecting to be shunted out of Gaga's life so suddenly.

He said: "It's like you wake up and you work with somebody every day, and then all of a sudden they're not there anymore. I don't think you're ever prepared to sever that deep of a relationship."

Carter also spoke about the first time he met Gaga, adding:

"She walked in with these huge sunglasses on, fishnet stockings, and basically told me how she was going to change the game. She was a performance artist calling herself Lady Gaga, who had a European dance-club sound and pop-star aspirations - elements that historically haven't mixed. Def Jam Records had just dropped her. I believed her."