Music stars Rihanna and Chris Brown once shared a beautiful romance which ended following an assault scandal. Years later, the scathing details of their relationship remain etched in the hearts of hip-hop fans.
After enduring a beautiful yet tumultuous relationship with rapper Chris Brown, singer, Rihanna moved on. However, the scars of their history run deep, serving as a reminder of their whirlwind romance.
Despite being Chris Brown’s ex, the songstress still holds the 31-year-old rapper in high esteem. Over time, she learned to forgive Brown, and the duo has developed a lasting friendship, putting their 2009 assault scandal behind them.
Their newfound friendship has left many wondering how the 32-year-old “Emergency Room” crooner managed to move on from the hurt without lingering.
THE ASSAULT SCANDAL
Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship kicked off in 2007, and they remained the ultimate Hollywood sweethearts for years. However, gruesome details of their romance came to light in February 2009, following leaked pictures of the songstress’ battered face, which flooded the media.
Accompanying reports suggested that Brown had physically abused Rihanna, inflicting the bruises on her a day to her scheduled performance at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The rapper turned himself in shortly after and ended up in police custody.
Following his day in court, the 31-year-old pleaded guilty to felony assault, landing himself five years of probation. He also received a court order to maintain 50 yards distance from Rihanna at all times, except at public events, which would require ten yards.
HOW RIHANNA MOVED ON FROM THE HURT
Despite the court’s verdict, the incident took a terrible toll on the star. The media attention surrounding the assault scandal only made it more difficult to endure. Notwithstanding, Rihanna managed to come to terms with her reality, find peace with herself, and eventually learned to overcome the ordeal.
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2012, the icon opened up about her journey to finding peace amid the assault crisis. She also revealed how she learned to make peace with Chris.
The hip hop artist divulged that repairing her relationship with her father helped her overcome the feelings of hurt, anger, and resentment towards Brown. It helped her forgive her ex completely for assaulting her.
Going further, Rihanna disclosed that she harbored anger against her dad since her childhood for being abusive to her mom. However, her encounter with Brown made her realize that despite being a terrible husband, he was great as a dad. She explained:
“All kinds of things started making sense. I thought I hated Chris, but I realized that it was love that was tarnished. It looked like hate because it was ugly, it was angry, it was inflamed, it was tainted. I had to forgive him because I cared about him still.”
Rihanna admitted that the moment she let go and forgave Brown, she started living again.
CHRIS BROWN’S TAKE ON THE ASSAULT SCANDAL
In his 2017 documentary, “Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life,” the rapper went into the details of the night’s events leading up to the assault. He revealed that his then girlfriend’s lack of trust for him contributed to the incident.
Brown recalled how their relationship hit a rough patch after he confessed to having a fling with another woman. According to him, Rihanna stopped loving him and lost all her trust in him. As a result, their relationship became a minefield, plagued with fights and arguments.
Hitting each other became the order of the day, so much so they began questioning the state of their relationship. Rihanna’s ex admitted to trying everything to win his then-girlfriend’s affection again, to no avail, until it eventually went out of hand.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?
The media had a blast dissecting the ins and outs of Chris Brown’s relationship with Rihanna following the scandal. Several reports about the incident flooded the press at the time, each painting the rapper as abusive.
However, over the years, the former couple have shared enlightening details about the events leading to the abuse charges, which played out on the night of the pre-Grammys party.
Brown recalled the incident in his 2017 documentary. He recounted how the songstress broke down that night after seeing a woman he previously cheated on her with. They departed from the pre-Grammys party together afterward and were headed home in a car when Rihanna entered a feat of rage.
She began throwing things at him while hitting and kicking him as he drove them home. Brown admitted to punching her in the face in an attempt to ward her off. The night got uglier, with Rihanna sustaining a thoroughly battered face and yelling for help.
Prior to the event, their relationship had become violent and unhealthy for either of them. The 32-year-old disclosed that she chose to endure the violence at first because she believed it was her place to change her boyfriend. She explained:
“I was that girl who felt that as much pain as this relationship is, maybe some people are built stronger than others. Maybe I’m one of those people built to handle things like this.”
The happenings on the pre-Grammys night served as a moment of reckoning, making her realize it was time to walk away.
