Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey's rep says a new report claiming her lover Bryan Tanaka was behind her shock split from manager Stella Bulochnikov is 'without merit'. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Mariah Carey's rep has denied claims that her toyboy lover Bryan Tanaka is (mis)managing her music career after engineering the departure of former manager Stella Bulochnikov.

A Page Six report claims that the 34-year-old backup dancer pushed out the fiery Bulochnikov, who was the woman behind Carey's Las Vegas residency, her polarising reality show Mariah's World and her upcoming Christmas shows.

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"Bryan is behind the whole split between Mariah and Stella. Bryan believes that he should be the one running Mariah's day-to-day life, and he's been orchestrating Stella's exit for a long time," a source quoted by the publication claimed.

"No one enjoys working with Stella. There's no secret that some people are happy she's out of the picture."

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Carey's publicist said that the Page Six report "was published without merit".

Carey, who was this week accused of sexually harassing her bodyguard in a draft court action, started dating Tanaka days after her romance with James Packer came to an end. The Australian billionaire magnanimously allowed her to keep the $10m (£8m) ring he had proposed with months earlier.

Having begun his professional dance career at 18, Tanaka shared the stage with Beyoncé multiple times and performed at award shows inclusion the Grammys and the MTV VMAs. He has also worked with the likes of Rihanna and in 2006 appeared in Nelly Furtado's Maneater music video.

Carey's first husband, Tommy Mottola, famously helped guide her to success. Following their divorce in 1998, former American Idol judge Randy Jackson managed her career. She has also worked closely with Red Light Management and Jermaine Dupri.

Earlier in November, Bulochnikov confirmed in a statement that Carey was no longer her client. "After working together for almost three years, Mariah Carey and Stella Bulochnikov have determined that it is in their mutual best interest to part ways on day-to-day management, " she said. "During their time working together, they have accomplished great things, including, most recently, Mariah Carey's new music and motion picture projects for this upcoming holiday season. Mariah Carey and Stella Bulochnikov remain partners in a number of business ventures, and will continue to support each other in those endeavors."