Selena Gomez has opened up about her fledging romance with Justin Bieber.

Selena Gomez the 18-year-old actress - who was recently pictured holding hands with and kissing the teen singing sensation - admitted she has been glad to find someone who can understand the pressures of a career in the limelight.

She told US TV talk show host David Letterman: "I'm blushing! He's been in my life for so long and it's just nice to have someone that understands what you're going through."

However, the brunette beauty confessed she didn't meet the 17-year-old 'Baby' hitmaker until his manager called her mother to arrange for the teen stars to get together.

Discussing how long she has known Justin for, Selena added: "Uh, almost, like, two years now. His manager called my mom, who's my manager."

However, life hasn't always been so easy for the pair - who haven't yet confirmed their romance, despite attending The Oscars together - as Selena recently admitted she was "hurt" by Justin's fans who openly criticised her through social networking site twitter.

She explained: " It's hard. It hurts, it really does. I don't feel like I'm doing anything wrong. I've been best friends with him for a very long time. It does hurt my feelings a lot but I try not to focus on it. I have a strong family and great fans."