Rihanna couldn't bury her feelings for Chris Brown.

The couple have reconciled after a break-up following the rapper's conviction for assaulting her in 2009 - which he is still on probation for - and the 'Stay' hitmaker revealed she left Chris with no intention of falling in love again.

She told The Observer Magazine: ''I wanted him to know what it felt like to lose me, to feel the consequences of that. So when that s**t [love] came back, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

''Like, God, you've got to be kidding me right now. But I got real with myself, and I just couldn't bury the way I felt.''

The 25-year-old singer insisted her on/off boyfriend isn't the ''monster'' he's made out to be and she believes he has changed.

She added: ''There's so many reasons why I ever reconsidered having him back in my life. He's not the monster everybody thinks. He's a good person ... Of course everybody has their opinion about him, because of what he's done.

''That will always be there, but he made a mistake and he's paid his dues. He's paid so much. And I know that's not a place he would ever want to go back to.

''And sometimes people need support and encouragement, instead of ridicule and criticism and bashing.''