Rihanna ‘protective’ over Chris Brown

Rihanna got very emotional when recently discussing the abuse she experienced at the hands of Chris Brown.

The singer suffered injuries in February 2009 when her then boyfriend Chris attacked her following Clive Davis' Grammy pre-party.

Tearing up during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna revisited the domestic violence incident.

"I lost my best friend... everything I knew switched—switched in a night," Rihanna cried to Oprah.

"It's not easy to interpret on camera, not with the world watching."

The Bajan beauty revealed she experienced conflicting emotions following the assault.

"[Oddly, I also felt] protective over him. Because as angry as I was—as angry and hurt and betrayed—I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help," Rihanna explained.

"And who's going to help him? Nobody's going to say he needs help, everybody's going to say he's a monster, without looking at the source. And I was more concerned about him."

Rihanna has reportedly rekindled her romance with Chris recently. The two have been spotted out together and she is rumoured to want the R&B singer to move into her Los Angeles home.

Rihanna's full interview with Oprah will air at 9 p.m. on Sunday.