Miley Cyrus has unveiled her latest tattoo - and it appears to hint at dark times with her estranged husband Liam Hemsworth.
The Dancing In The USA singer appeared at last night's MTV VMAs and walked the red carpet for the first time since splitting from Liam earlier this month.
The newly single star performed her new breakup single Slide Away, wearing a figure-skimming little black dress with a plunging neckline as she sang on stage in front of millions of viewers around the world.
Her new inking was clearly visible on her left upper arm and appears to hint at a darker reason behind her split.
The cursive text reads: "My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free."
It's a lyric from Pixies' 1990 track The Thing, which is told by a narrator who is driving when he hears that aliens have landed on Las Vagas.
Miley accessorised her fresh tatt with layers of silver chains slung around her neck, and heavy chain-link bracelets on both of her wrists.
There was no sign of Liam at the NTAs after Miley went public with her new romance with Kaitlynn Carter, the estranged wife of Brody Jenner.
Miley and Kaitlynn fled the aftermath of their respective splits for a romantic holiday onboard a private yacht in Italy.
There, they were pictured kissing and cuddling on the top deck, making no secret of their feelings for each other.
And Kaitlynn was Miley's date for the awards ceremony last night, joining her girlfriend backstage before her big performance.
Footage recorded as Miley sets off for the stage surrounded by her entourage shows Kaitlynn tenderly stroking the blonde beauty's hair in support.
She then proudly watched on from backstage as Miley belted out her emotional new single lit up in black and white lighting.
Slide Away is considered to be 100% about Miley and Liam's failed relationship, with Miley changing the lyric "you're right, we're grown now" last night to, "you're right, I'm grown now".
It comes after Miley hotly denied cheating on Liam in the final weeks of their eight-month marriage when she delivered a scorching clap-back on Twitter .
"I can accept that the life I've chosen means I must live completely open and transparent with my fans who I love, and the public, 100% of the time. What I cannot accept is being told I'm lying to cover up a crime I haven't committed. I have nothing to hide," she wrote in a statement.
"But the truth is, once Liam & I reconciled, I meant it, & I was committed. There are NO secrets to uncover here.
"I've learned from every experience in my life. I'm not perfect, I don't want to be, it’s boring. I've grown up in front of you, but the bottom line is, I HAVE GROWN UP. I can admit to a lot of things but I refuse to admit that my marriage ended because of cheating.
"Liam and I have been together for a decade. I've said it before & it remains true, I love Liam and always will," she added defiantly.
