Rihanna once became the headlines when a bruised and swollen face of the singer appeared in the media as a result of traumatic abuse from her boyfriend, Chris Brown.
Rihanna is one of the most loved and sought-after names in the music industry. An influential figure in pop culture, Rihanna has released many popular hits, including Good Girl Gone Bad, The Monster, Umbrella, Work, Rude Boy, and more. She is known for her multifaceted career, as she is also a successful businesswoman.
The pop sensation’s personal life has also garnered a lot of limelight over the past few years. She is currently in a long-term relationship with ASAP Rocky. Previously, she was in some high-profile relationships with Matt Kemp, Drake, Hassan Jameel and a few others. But it was her tumultuous on-and-off relationship with rapper Chris Brown that made tabloid headlines for years. The relationship was marked by assault, humiliation and torture.
In 2004, Rihanna and Chris Brown met for the first time at a concert. Soon, they struck a chord and became friends. After Rihanna won a Grammy for her song, Umbrella, Chris collaborated with her. Soon, rumours of a 16-year-old dating a 15-year-old Chris Brown made headlines. The couple never acknowledged their relationship, but later confirmed the same. The pair met as teenagers, and by 2008, they had become the most high-profile couple.
On February 9, 2009, following a pre-Grammy party, Chris and Rihanna had an argument, which went too far. Chris assaulted Rihanna in his car while punching, choking, and even threatening to kill her. The assault was so brutal that it left Rihanna with multiple bruises and a swollen face. Soon, Rihanna was hospitalised, and her bruised face was all over the media.
As per police officials, Chris and Rihanna’s fight began when she found a text message from another woman on Chris’s mobile phone. The argument escalated to a point that he turned physical on her, trying to push her from the parked car, choking her, punching her repeatedly, and allegedly biting her ear. Police were called to the scene and found Rihanna with injuries on her face.
Soon after, Chris Brown was arrested and sentenced to five years of probation after he pleaded guilty. On the other hand, Rihanna filed for a restraining order, and Chris was prohibited from being within 50 yards of her. Under the law, protection orders prevented Rihanna and Brown from even having a cordial, long-distance relationship. Besides the restrictions on their physical proximity, the pair are not allowed to contact each other.
Later in 2009, Rihanna spoke about the abuse in an interview and revealed how dangerous her relationship with Chris had become. Elaborating on the same, she shared:
“All I kept thinking was, ‘When is it going to stop?’ The more in love we became, the more dangerous we became for each other, equally as dangerous.”
In 2012, Rihanna and Chris Brown rekindled their relationship and gave it another chance. She was hopelessly in love with the rapper and even confessed it to Oprah Winfrey on her talk show. In the same interaction, Rihanna also revealed that she had dropped the restraining order and had forgiven him.
In an interaction with Vanity Fair, Rihanna revealed that she felt she could ‘change’ Brown. Speaking about the same, she revealed:
“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. I was very protective of him. I felt that people didn't understand him. Even after… But you know, you realise after a while that in that situation you're the enemy.”
Despite being a victim of domestic abuse, Rihanna thought she could repair her relationship with Chris and hoped he would become a changed man. She was desperate to start a family with him. However, Chris felt that the two were too young for the same. Shortly after Rihanna spoke about her emotions, Chris went on The Kyle & Jackie O radio show and stated that he was not focused on ‘wife-ing’ Rihanna.
The final nail in the coffin was when Rihanna discovered that Chris Brown had lied to her about a past sexual encounter with a woman. Later, Chris, in his documentary, revealed that his relationship with Rihanna was marred by his infidelity and lies. Not just this, he also called the assault incident a ‘haunting’ mistake of his life, which also impacted his career.
Soon after Chris showed no interest in having babies, Rihanna broke up with him permanently. Speaking to Vanity Fair about her breakup with Chris and how she would never hate him, Rihanna stated:
“I was that girl who felt that, as much pain as this relationship is, maybe some people are built stronger than others. I would care about him until the day I die. We're not friends, but it's not like we're enemies. We don't have much of a relationship now."
What do you think about Rihanna’s abusive relationship with Chris Brown?
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