Diane Sawyer, left, interviews singer Rihanna about her
relationship with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in New York.(AP
Photo/ABC, Ida Mae Astute)
Rihanna has described the horror she felt as her
ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was biting and punching her during a
violent argument in February, saying she saw "no soul in his
eyes."
"There was no person when I looked at him," the
21-year-old singer recalled during portions of an interview
with Diane Sawyer airing on ABC's "20/20" and, earlier, "Good
Morning America." ''He had no soul in his eyes. Just blank."
Brown was arrested on February 8, hours after he was accused
of beating Rihanna after the two argued over another woman.
He later pleaded guilty to felony assault.
In the interview, Rihanna, who is no longer with Brown,
described him as "definitely my first big love." She said
their relationship was intense.
"The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for
each other - equally as dangerous," she said. "It was a bit
of an obsession almost."
The attack occurred in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood
as Brown drove a rented sports car. She said it was triggered
when she saw a text message on his phone from another woman
and confronted him about it. She said he lied about it and "I
wouldn't drop it."
A search warrant affidavit filed in the case stated that
Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna and tried at one point to
push her from the car.
"It was ugly," she said.
During the beating, the singer said she had no idea how it
would end: "That's all I kept thinking the whole time, 'When
is it going to stop? When is it going to stop?'"
Brown was sentenced to five years' probation, six months of
community labour and a year of domestic violence counselling
after he pleaded guilty to felony assault.
Rihanna said that, even after her physical wounds had healed,
she felt embarrassment and shame.
"You start thinking, 'What could I possibly have said to make
him hit me and do this?' ... I didn't talk about it to
anyone. To no one. Not my friends, not my family. I didn't
want people looking at me and feeling sorry for me, like,
'There goes the victim.'"
Rihanna warned other women facing domestic violence to not
let themselves become blinded by love. She also said she
regretted going back to Brown, saying it sent the wrong
message to her fans.
Brown, 20, has apologised to fans and has said he has
repeatedly apologised to Rihanna for the attack.
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