LOS ANGELES • Mariah Carey stood up for her manager friend after a report said Ms Stella Bulochnikov caused her reported split with Australian billionaire James Packer.

The pop star last Saturday posted a photo of herself with Ms Bulochnikov while she was with friends at a Hollywood club.

Carey, 46, captioned the photo: "Real friends who don't read Woman's Day". She added the hash tag "we don't know you".

It was an apparent dig at Australian magazine Woman's Day, which reported last week that Packer has dumped the star, following their engagement in January.

The magazine quoted a source as saying that the tycoon could not stand Ms Bulochnikov, whose "dictatorial style" had led many of Carey's staff to quit.

The singer rebutted in a statement that she and Packer were "trying to work it out" after a huge fight in Greece last month on his superyacht.

Her representatives said the fight was not due to "cheating allegations or excessive spending by Mariah".

A sticking point appears to be the star's reality series Mariah's World, which Packer, 49, is unwilling to star in, according to Woman's Day.

Producers now worry that footage of their wedding preparationshas become irrelevant to the series. It is to debut next month on E! entertainment network.