Watching Lady Gaga Praise Bradley Cooper For Believing in Her Will Turn You Into a Wreck

Lady Gaga may have won the award for best actress for her role in A Star Is Born at Tuesday's National Board of Review Gala, but it's her moving acceptance speech that has us sobbing. After being introduced by Stephen Colbert, Gaga took the stage and opened up about the real-life pain she had to tap into for the role of waitress-turned-singer Ally Maine. "Ally was all the things I was not when I went out into the world to pursue my dreams," Gaga said. "I had to reflect on an earlier time in my life, in high school and earlier when I was bullied . . . I was traumatized by people telling me over and over again that I wasn't and couldn't become who I dreamed of becoming."

However, thanks to Bradley Cooper (who took home the award for best director), Gaga was able to overcome "the trauma of [her] childhood" and manifest Ally. "I would not be standing up here without you," Gaga explained. "Thank you for believing in me and being the costar, visionary, and friend. You made me a way better actress." Gaga also gave fiancé Christian Carino a sweet shout-out, thanking him for "loving and taking care of my heart every day."

Gaga concluded her speech by praising her Italian immigrant family, including her mom, Cynthia Germanotta, who was her date to the fete. "I have always made art not just for myself, but to make my family proud," she said. "I did this one Germanotta-style." Watch Gaga's emotional speech in full above, but make sure you have some tissues nearby before you do.