Lady Gaga's family learns of rape post Til It Happens To You performance at Oscars 2016

Lady Gaga Oscars — Lady Gaga received a standing ovation for her performance of Til It Happens To You from documentary The Hunting Ground at the Oscars 2016 REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Even as Lady Gaga had revealed in 2014 that she was raped as a teenager, some members of her family were not aware of the incident, until the signer's appearance at the Academy Awards on 28 February. The singer performed Til It Happens To You, co-written along with sexual assault survivor Diane Warren for The Hunting Ground – a documentary – that exposes the prevalence of rape on college campuses.

After US Vice President Joe Biden introduced Lady Gaga on stage, she was joined by 52 other survivors in a powerful presentation. Lady Gaga's performance was so moving that actress Kate Winslet and Rachel McAdams were left in tears, while Leonardo DiCaprio applauded passionately.

The singer took to instagram on 1 March to reveal that post her Oscars performance she got a call from her grandmother, who mentioned how proud she was of her.

"My grandmother ... and my Aunt Sheri ... both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a [rape] survivor," Lady Gaga wrote. "I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I'm Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for 10 years," she wrote.

My grandmother (in the middle) and my Aunt Sheri (on the right) both called me the day after the Oscars because I never told them I was a survivor. I was too ashamed. Too afraid. And it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I'm Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years. The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me "My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today." Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything-- became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of. And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most. #BeBrave #speakup #tilithappenstoyou
A photo posted by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Mar 1, 2016 at 5:04pm PST

"I could hear [her tears] welling through the phone she said to me, 'My darling granddaughter, I've never been more proud of you than I am today'," she said. "Something I have kept a secret for so long that I was more ashamed of than anything — became the thing the women in my life were the most proud of. And not just any women, the ones I look up to the most," Gaga added.

Lady Gaga Leonardo DiCaprio