Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are still close despite going through a public breakup earlier in the year, the Come & Get It singer said during her Friday appearance on Good Morning America.

Before taking to the stage to perform as part of the show's summer concert series, the 21-year-old sat down with GMA's anchors to talk about her relationship with Bieber.

Gomez confirmed that she and the 19-year-old are were not together in an interview with Ryan Seacrest that aired as a special Sunday on E! She said she is happy with where she is in her life at the moment, but added,  "whatever happens, happens." On Friday, she explained to Sam Champion and Lara Spencer how she is able to stay friends with her famous e-boyfriend.

“We’ve had such a history together,” Gomez said with a smile on her face. “I’ll always care about him and protect him.”

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The morning show anchors presented Gomez with a big, red, three-tiered cake and led the crowd in singing her Happy Birthday following her 21st birthday on Monday. Gomez then rocked Central Park with a series of songs. 

Gomez is currently traveling the globe promoting her Stars Dance world tour, which kicks off in August. The singer may be not be able to avoid questions about Bieber, but she abruptly ended a recent interview when the questions got too personal. She called in via satellite to talk with Chicago's WGN Entertainment reporter Dean Richards and he asked her about Bieber's recent headline-making behavior.

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"You're, you know, probably as close a friend to Justin Bieber as they come," Richards said. "Is there something about him that we don't get or we don't understand? I mean, there is one story after another of, you know, pretty outrageous behaviour that we're reading about."

Gomez smiled her way through the question but then discontinued the interview and without an answer to the inquiry.

Tags: Selena Gomez Justin Bieber