Liam Hemsworth Miley Cyrus
Australian actor Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus in happier times. Reuters

Pop star Miley Cyrus felt "free" after splitting with Australian actor Liam Hemsworth.

In an interview for the May issue of Elle magazine, the We Can't Stop singer confessed that she thought she would die without her Disney career and Hemsworth.

Hemsworth and Cyrus met on the set of Nicholas Sparks film The Last Song, in 2009. In 2012, Hemsworth proposed to Cyrus with a 3.5-carat Neil Lane diamond ring.

The couple made their last public appearance together at the premiere of his film Paranoia at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles, before Hemsworth officially announced his split from the Wrecking Ball singer.

"I'm really thankful that I started on Disney. I got the most intense training. There's times where I wish I could have just started as a new artist, but the world has kind of allowed me to do that. I feel really lucky—a lot of kid stars get all crazy or stuck in what they were, so they can't actually become what they're meant to be," she said.

"When I went through a really intense breakup — you know, I was engaged — and when I was with him [Hemsworth] or when I was on Disney, the thing that gave me the most anxiety was not knowing what to do with myself when Disney wasn't there to carry me anymore or if I didn't have him. And now I'm free of both of those things, and I'm fine. Like, I lay in bed at night by myself and I'm totally okay, and that's so much stronger than the person three years ago, who would have thought they would have died if they didn't have a boyfriend," Cyrus added.

Disney