Rihanna has broken down in tears in an emotional chat with US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey.
During the interview - due to air on US TV screens next week - RiRi gets teary-eyed as she opens up about her ex Chris Brown, who she split from in February 2009 after he beat her up.
She told Oprah: "I lost my best friend. Everything I knew... switched. Switched in a night, and I couldn't control that. So I had to deal with that and that's not easy for me to understand or interpret. And it's not easy to interpret on camera - not with the world watching.
And despite needing hospital treatment following the attack, Rihanna said she felt 'protective' of her ex.
"It was hard for me to even pay attention to my mind and figuring things out because it became a circus and I felt protective... the only person they hate right now is him.
"It was a weird, confusing space to be in because I was angry, hurt and betrayed. I just felt that he made that mistake because he needed help. Who's going to help him? He needed help.
"Nobody was going to say 'he needs help' Everyone's going to say 'he's a monster' without looking at the source and I was more concerned about him."
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