Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth ended their 15-month long engagement in mid-September, but there were signs that the stars were heading in separate directions even before they officially announced the split.

The Wrecking Ball singer spoke openly about her breakup with the Hunger Games: Catching Fire in an interview with Barbara Walters. The 21-year-old pop star is featured in the ABC special Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013, and she shared new insight into why her relationship with Hemsworth was expected to fail.

"I was so scared of ever being alone, and I think, conquering that fear, this year, was actually bigger than any other transition that I had, this entire year," Cyrus said in the pre-taped interview, airing on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 p.m. ET. "I don't ever want to have to need someone again, where you feel like, without them, you can't be yourself."

Cyrus said she did love the 23-year-old actor, whom she met in 2010 on the set of their film The Last Song, but now that she is single she can "actually be happy."

It seems the A-listers are doing better apart, since Hemsworth also said he is "much happier" after parting ways with Cyrus.

"These days I feel like I'm more centered and grounded than I've ever been," the 23-year-old told The Associated Press in November. "I'm more comfortable in my own skin than I've ever been in my whole life."

Miley Cyrus' Tongue was Always Out, Now and Then PHOTOS

Talking with Walters about how the engagement changed her life, Cyrus said the following:

"I don't think I realized what 19 truly is, and I got engaged at 19, and I definitely wouldn't change being engaged. It was so fun wearing a fat rock for a few years. But now...I wait for those moments of silence, when I'm just at my house, by myself."

Asked if she'll ever get married, she replied, "I think I'll want that in the times that it needs to be."

Tags: Miley Cyrus Liam Hemsworth