Rihanna Breaks Her Silence on Chris Brown Saga
Rihanna Tells Diane Sawyer: 'This Happened to Me ... It Can Happen to Anyone'
By LAUREN SHER and SHEILA MARIKAR
Nov. 4, 2009—
After months of silence, pop sensation Rihanna is talking publicly about her relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Chris Brown, and the February 2009 events that led to his arrest.
"The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for each other," she told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview set to air on "Good Morning America" at 7am ET Thursday, Nov. 5. Their full interview will air on "20/20" at 10p E.T. Friday, Nov. 6.
In August, Brown was sentenced to five years of probation, six months of community service and one year of domestic violence counseling for assaulting the 21-year-old pop singer the night before the Grammy Awards.
"This happened to me ... it can happen to anyone," Rihanna told Sawyer in the "20/20" interview, which will also be seen on "GMA."
Rihanna told Sawyer that Brown was "definitely my first big love" before the dramatic incident, which resulted in the tabloids tearing apart the couple's seemingly fairy tale relationship.
The pop star also spoke out to Glamour magazine about her trying year.
"I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day," she said in an interview featured in the magazine's December issue. "It was like, What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can't go back home?"
Rihanna told the magazine that having a photo of her after Brown's attack, in which her face appears battered and swollen, get leaked to the press was "humiliating."
"It was humiliating," she said. "That is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it's my life."
The pop star told Glamour that she reached out to her family and to God in the months following Brown's assault and their subsequent breakup, though she often felt alone.
"My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It's a lonely place to be -- no one can understand," she said. "That's when you get close to God."
After a nine month hiatus, the star -- known for her fierce fashion sense and infectious hits like "Umbrella" -- is back with a new single, "Russian Roulette," from her highly anticipated album "Rated R" to be released later this month.
Now, speaking out about domestic violence, she told Glamour that she is "stronger, wiser and more aware," and she warns young girls not to repeat her mistakes.
"The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that," she said. "I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard. Now I can help speak for those women."
Portions of ABC News' exclusive interview with Rihanna will air on "Good Morning America" at 7am E.T. Thursday, Nov. 5. Her full interview will air on "20/20" at 10p E.T. Friday, Nov. 6.