Rihanna and Chris Brown were one of music's biggest couples before he assaulted her before the Grammy Awards in February 2009. Since then, Brown has completed a spell of probation and counselling, and it appears as though Rihanna is ready to forgive and forget.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey this week, the Barbadian singer reflected on the violent incident, though somewhat surprisingly revealed that she felt "protective" of Brown in the immediate aftermath. The singer explained, "As angry as I was - as angry and hurt and betrayed.I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help". In the interview -which airs on Sunday (August 19, 2012) in the U.S - the singer added, "Who's gonna help him? Nobody's gonna say he needs help. Everybody's gonna say he's a monster without looking at the source". After initially denying the charge, Chris Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna in the early hours of February 8, 2012. According to the UK's Guardian newspaper, Brown tried to force Rihanna out of the window, continuing to punch the pop star's arms, hands and legs - twice placing her in a headlock.
Though his career initially suffered, Chris Brown has since bounced back. He and Rihanna even collaborated on two songs earlier this year, and the 23-year-old scooped his first Grammy Award back in February. On Wednesday, a lawsuit was filed concerning the Chris Brown and Drake fight, in which a New York club was trashed. The venue is reportedly seeking $16 million in damages.