Stealing the show: Rihanna looked dangerously close to losing her top as performed at the MTV European Music Awards last night after learning her new single Only Girl (In The World) had hit No.1 in the UK chartsShe left the clutch of awards to Lady Gaga.
But last night Rihanna still had something to celebrate at the MTV European Music Awards after learning her new single had climbed to No.1 in the UK singles chart.
The 22-year-old star performed the upbeat track Only Girl (In the World) at the the glitzy bash in Madrid, wearing a fairytale inspired costume - which she almost busted out of at one point - complete with crown and wand.
Her chart success saw Cheryl Cole's No.1 single Promise This slip a place - however the X Factor judge's new album Messy Little Raindrops did hit the top spot.
Rihanna's friend Katy Perry also went head to head with the unstoppable Gaga in several categories - but came off the worse after winning just one trophy for Best Video, California Gurls.
Gaga, who was unable to attend as she was performing in Budapest, collected awards in the categories Best Pop, Best Female and Best Song (Bad Romance).
Atmospheric: The singer performed on a fairytale set, complete with flowers, smoke and a sunset backdrop
Centre stage: She performed Only Girl, but didn't win any awards at the glitzy bash which was held in Madrid
Transformed: Earlier the singer arrived to the event in a ruffled white gown before changing into her more revealing stage outfit
Appearing by video link, the singer said of her award in the Best Pop category: 'I'm all the way in Budapest and I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to accept this award myself but there are 20,000 little monsters out there waiting for me, so I have to hurry up and get back on stage.'This means so much to me Europe, I love you.'
An emotional Lady Gaga then thanked fans after winning her second and third awards, firstly Best Female and then Best Song, for her hit Bad Romance.
She interrupted her Budapest concert to say: 'I hate that I'm not there, but I'm working so hard', before breaking into a snatch of the song.
Hot on her platform heels was über-phenomenon Justin Bieber, who won both the prestigious Best Male category as well as Best Push Artist.
Shakira kicked off a female-dominated MTV Europe Music Awards in style tonight with a medley of songs.
The Colombian singer wore a silver bikini top and tasselled silver trousers to perform her latest single Loca, and Waka Waka (This is Africa).
This year's awards, broadcast live to millions of viewers across Europe, were held in Madrid's Caja Magica.
Host Eva Longoria took to the stage wearing a revealing black dress, in the first of 13 planned ensembles, before a quick change into a scarlet mini-dress.
She welcomed the crowd with a rousing 'Viva Espana!' before congratulating Spain on its recent World Cup victory.
She's back: Newly Katy Perry, a close friend of Rihanna, also performed in a white sequinned catsuit and tutuGossip Girl actress and musician Taylor Momsen presented the Best New Act award to Kesha, who thanked her 'bad-ass' fans and admitted: 'I'm about to pee my pants!'
Rock band Paramore beat Gorillaz and Arcade Fire in the Alternative category, with lead singer Hayley Williams admitting: 'We've never won an award on TV before.'
Their gong was presented by Jackass's Johnny Knoxville, who joked that he had been 'in two hospitals and many bars' since arriving in Spain.
Longoria then introduced Bon Jovi as the winners of the first Global Icon Award.
'This award is a testament to the millions of fans they have around the world,' she said.
Jon Bon Jovi said: 'Thank you, thanks I guess for making us icons.
Celebrations: She won an award for Best Video for her lively song California Gurls, seen here holding it aloft after collecting it on stage'I want to thank everybody at MTV for this unbelievable ride over a quarter of a century - we're still doing what we do and doing it well.'
Katy Perry, host of the 2008 and 2009 awards, took Best Video for California Gurls, which featured Snoop Dogg.
Perry, who performed earlier in the evening, accepted her award wearing a metallic mini-dress with her hair in a high ponytail, and said: 'This is awesome, I really want to thank you guys, because I was just on stage and you guys are the best f***ing crowd in Europe.
Teenage pop sensation Justin Bieber, 16, was voted Best Male, beating Kanye West and Eminem to the award, while Linkin Park brought their road crew out to help celebrate winning the Live Act category.
Helping hand: Katy, who has hosted the awards ceremony twice before, gave new presenter Eva Longoria some hints on how to keep the crowd entertained by ripping off her dress to reveal a sexy corset
Outfit change: The Desperate Housewives star made a series of outfit changes, seen here next to some scantily-clad male modelsIn a pre-recorded segment featuring Dizzee Rascal, Longoria performed an awards-themed rap, while on stage her array of costumes included a purple silk dress and a black feathered outfit.
Perry, known for her eccentric costume choices at previous MTV Awards, then offered Longoria advice on how to keep the attention of the audience.
'As you know, I've hosted the show before a couple of times,' she said, before stripping away Longoria's demure prom-style black dress to reveal the actress in a tiny corset.
The 17-year-old Miley Cyrus, who rose to fame as a child star, also chose a revealing costume, singing Who Owns My Heart clad in a pale-coloured leotard.
It's all in the hips: Shakira opened the show and true to form put her rock hard stomach firmly on display
Looking good: The Colombian star performed her World Cup single Waka Waka (This Is Africa), wearing a tasseled silver grass skirt and a bikini topEminem triumphed in the Hip Hop category, accepting his prize from Brazil, while Shakira was given the Free Your Mind award in recognition for her charity work campaigning for universal education.
She said: 'I believe that music is the soundtrack of our lives: music can make you dance, can make you laugh, forget about your troubles, but it also makes you think, and can be a vehicle to make you think about important issues.'
The latter part of the evening featured performances from Plan B and Best New Act winner Kesha, who took to the stage in neon face paint to sing Tik Tok and crowd-surfed out into the enthusiastic crowd.
Actor-turned-singer Jared Leto's band Thirty Seconds to Mars scooped Best Rock, thanking their devoted fanbase, known as 'the Echelon' in their acceptance speech.
Strutting her stuff: Miley Cyrus put in a customary provocative performance, wearing fishnet tights and underwear-style clothingLeto said: 'I would like to say thank you to the most wonderful family in the entire world - they are known as the Echelon and they aren't just fans, they really are everything we could hope and dream for.
'They have proved once again that if you are willing to walk the path of the dreamer, anything is possible.'
Longoria paid tribute to Gaga by arriving on stage in an imitation of the 'meat dress' the singer sported at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.
The host appeared in a dress shaped like a giant cut of ham, branding herself 'jamon iberico'.
The awards were closed by Bon Jovi, who played a medley that included Shot Through the Heart and It's My Life.
Crowd pleaser: Katy seen here on stage in Independence Square, Madrid, where the event was heldsource: dailymail
