Rhianna Says She Felt Like Britney Spears After Public Interest In Her Grew With Chris Brown Case

The 21-year-old singer has given a series of interviews about the February incident, in which her on/off boyfriend punched, kicked and choked her. She found the level of interest in her private life difficult to bear, especially as she was struggling to come to terms with the assault herself.

“It has taught me so much. I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears,” she told America’s Glamour magazine. “That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, ‘What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac?

What do you mean, I can’t go back home?’ ”

Following the attack, a police photo of Rihanna’s injuries was leaked online. It showed her with welts on her head and cuts and bruises, and she was devastated when one of her most private moments was made public.

She said: “It was humiliating; that is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed.”

Chris was eventually sentenced to five years’ probation and six months’ community labour for the assault. He has also been barred from contacting the singer for five years and must attend domestic violence classes for 52 weeks.

Rihanna now chooses to focus on the positive aspects of her life, revealing the incident has made her determined to help other young women who may be suffering at the hands of their partners.

She explained: “Domestic violence is a big secret. No kid goes around and lets people know their parents fight. Teenage girls can’t tell their parents that their boyfriend beat them up. It’s one of the things we will hide, because it’s embarrassing.

“The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that. I want to give as much insight as I can to young women,
because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn’t heard. Now I can help speak for those women.”

Rihanna is due to speak about the incident on US TV programmes Good Morning America and 20/20 later this week.