I was concerned about Chris Brown after domestic abuse, says RiRi

Washington - Rihanna said that she felt “protective” of her former boyfriend Chris Brown after he was convicted of domestic abuse.

The Barbadian popstar grew emotional and began to cry, as she opened up about her troubled relation with the R and B singer to Oprah Winfrey on her show ‘Oprah’s Next Chapter.’

“It was a weird, confusing space to be in,” ABC News quoted her as saying on the show.

“Because as angry as I was, as angry and hurt and betrayed, I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help 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,” she said.

Winfrey travels to Barbados for a no-holds-barred conversation with Rihanna about her family and the price of fame.

The night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, Brown assaulted the singer, leaving the now 24-year-old battered and bruised.

Brown was sentenced to five years’ probation, community labor and one year of domestic-violence counseling.

“I lost my best friend. Everything I knew switched ... switched in a night and I couldn’t control that,” she said.

“So I had to deal with that, and that’s not easy for me to understand or interpret. It’s not easy to interpret on camera. Not with the world watching,” she added.