Lady Gaga believes celibacy is a good thing

The 'Poker Face' singer - who has previously admitted to being bisexual - suggests girls should save themselves for someone special.

She said: "If you can't get to know them, you shouldn't have sex with them. It's OK at this point, in this day and age, we have to grow up and we now know that we can't be that free with love.

"I'm single because I don't have the time. You know what? It's OK. Even Lady Gaga can be celibate, you don't have to have sex to be loved."

The 23-year-old – real name Stefani Germanotta - also claims she doesn't need a man in her life to make her feel safe.

She said: "My fans are my roommates. The thing that keeps me warm at night is my sense of self. When I see my beautiful fans I feel how much they protect and mean to me. It would be irresponsible if I didn't protect them and teach young people to be self expressive, to love yourself."

Lady Gaga, who was speaking at the launch of a new Viva Glam lipstick for Mac Cosmetics in London, went on to say that sex education is the most important tool to stop the spread of AIDS and HIV.

She said: "Here in the UK, six in ten women that are affected by HIV are as young as 13 years old. I believe so much in education, but instead of putting that education into a programme, we are putting it into our hands and educating each other as women." The singer recently took a HIV test when she was home in New York because she was worried about her behaviour while on tour.

She said: "When I'm on the road, I forget about taking care of my body. I don't go to the doctor as regularly as if I were in one place all the time. So I woke up and thought, 'Oh, I'm home in New York. I'm going to see my gynaecologist and I'm getting an HIV test.' "