Miley Cyrus performs Slide Away at VMAs amid divorce

Cameras captured Cyrus in a candid backstage moment with her new flame seconds before she nailed her big Liam breakup song at the VMAs.

Miley Cyrus has stunned crowds at the VMAs with her powerful performance of Slide Away, the breakup track she released in the wake of her separation from Liam Hemsworth.

The singer, 26, largely kept her eyes closed as she belted out the song, surrounded by violinists.

Miley Cyrus performs at the MTV VMAs.

The emotional performance received a standing ovation from the crowd, including her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus.

The crowd went wild.

Proud dad Billy Ray.

Moments before she took the stage, Cyrus was spotted backstage with her rumoured girlfriend, reality TV star Kaitlynn Carter.

Miley and her rumoured girlfriend, reality TV star Kaitlynn Carter.

Miley Cyrus backstage before her performance.

Carter was seen stroking the singer’s hair as they made their way down the hallway, surrounded by people.

Carter (right) stroked Cyrus’ head as she geared up to perform the emotional track.

Cyrus released the song just five days after she and Hemsworth, 29, announced their separation. Days later, Hemsworth filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”.

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All over. Picture: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/AFP

In the song, Cyrus sings:

Move on, we’re not 17

I’m not who I used to be

You said that everything changed

You’re right I’m grown now.

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Cyrus’ song contains very unsubtle references to the split. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

To really drive the point home, the YouTube video released at the same time as the song shows a whiskey bottle floating in a pool surrounded by pills, adding weight to these lyrics:

I want my house in the hills

Don’t want the whiskey and pills

I don’t give up easily

But I don’t think I’m down

In the days after the split, sources from Cyrus’ camp cited Hemsworth’s alleged drinking and drug use as factors in their marriage breakdown.

The Hunger Games star is yet to respond directly to the claims.

Cyrus and Hemsworth wed in an intimate ceremony in December after their Malibu home was destroyed in a devastating wildfire.

Just eight months later, they announced their separation, and photos of Cyrus and Carter kissing on a boat in Italy surfaced shortly afterwards.

Regardless, according to sources close to Cyrus, the singer was blindsided by her estranged husband’s decision to file for divorce, just 11 days after their statement painstakingly pointed out their separation was only “at this time”.

People magazine reported friends of the star ultimately wanted to reconcile with Hemsworth down the track, and was finding it hard readjusting to life in Los Angeles without him.

“They had many happy days together in Los Angeles and now Liam is not around,” People quoted the source.

“It’s hard for her to be back in LA without him. This is not the situation that she wanted. She hoped they could figure things out.”