Rihanna Admits She Still Loves Chris Brown in Candid Interview on OWN

On Sunday, August 19th Rihanna gave a rare and revealing interview to Oprah that premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network. The interview took place in Rihanna's home-town of Barbados. The interview covered many topics including Rihanna's childhood, getting signed on rapper Jay-Z's record label and of course, her long and sometimes famously tumultuous relationship with singer Chris Brown.

On February 8th 2009, Chris Brown and Rihanna (then boyfriend and girlfriend) left a party together. On the way home, the couple got into a very heated argument which resulted in Rihanna getting multiple bruises on her eyes, cheeks and neck. Chris Brown was later arrested and pled guilty in the court of law. He was sentenced to 180 days of community service and 5 years of probation. A restraining order was issued but was later dropped at Rihanna's request.

On the subject of Chris Brown, the "Umbrella" singer was very tearful and admitted that even after the altercation in 2009, she still loved him. She stated that after the incident occurred, everybody in the world hated him and she felt protective over him.

"It was like a circus and I felt protective. I felt like the only person they hate right now is him. I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help and who's gonna help him. Nobody's gonna say he needs help. Everybody's gonna say he's a monster without looking at the source. I was concerned about him."

Rihanna went on to say that she and Chris Brown are still very close friends and are trying to rebuild their relationship together.

"We've been working on our friendship again and now were very, very close friends. We've built a trust. We love each other and we probably always will."

In the interview, Rihanna admitted that even though the altercation was 3 years ago, seeing him is still very "awkward" for her.

"It's awkward because I still love him. My stomach drops and I have to maintain this poker face and not let it get to the other part of me."

She went on to say, "he was the love of my life. He was the first love and I see that he loved me the same way."

In the Oprah interview, Rihanna also stated that when she was first signed onto rapper Jay-Z's record label, she felt "claustrophobic and stifled" as if they tried to make her something that she is not. She also credited her fans for giving her love and support and being there for her through all of her fame.

Watch the tell-all interview here, and comment to say what you thought of it. Is Rihanna right about her still loving Chris Brown? Or is she still pushing herself back into the same trap as she did 3 years ago? Share your opinions.

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