Just hours before she was due to perform at the annual awards show, Rihanna was left battered and bruised after Chris, 26, attacked her. He was charged and 27-year-old Rihanna was granted a restraining order, which has since been lifted.
Now superstar Rihanna has opened up for the first time about that period of her life, admitting she wanted to save Chris.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, she said: “I was that girl. That girl who felt that, as much pain as this relationship is, maybe some people are built stronger than others.
“Maybe I’m one of those people built to handle [stuff] like this. Maybe I’m the person who’s almost the guardian angel to this person, to be there when they’re not strong enough, when they’re not understanding the world, when they just need someone to encourage them in a positive way and say the right thing.”
Rihanna admitted that she still wanted to help Chris, even after he lashed out.
She continued: “100 per cent. I was very protective of him. I felt that people didn’t understand him. Even after…
“You want the best for them, but if you remind them of their failures, or if you remind them of bad moments in their life, or even say, ‘I’m willing to put up with something,’ they think less of you because they know you don’t deserve what they’re going to give.
“And if you put up with it, maybe you are agreeing that you [deserve] this, and that’s when I finally had to say, ‘Uh-oh, I was stupid thinking I was built for this’.”
She added: “Sometimes you just have to walk away.”