Rihanna: "I thought Chris Brown was perfect"

After eight months of silence, this week Rihanna has been talking all over the place about that gruesome Chris Brown business - and, in a sad new interview with the Mirror, she's admitted she used to think he was perfect.

"Just when you think somebody was perfect and that it can’t happen to you, it does," she says. "I’ve definitely emerged stronger after the year I’ve had. Going through a rough experience like that makes you tougher and to get through it takes a lot of guts. I’m naturally a survivor but it’s been hard to say the least. I just tried to live my life but it was hard. I was in the spotlight but for all the wrong reasons. Whereas once it was about my music, now all the attention was focused on what happened to me. It was what I call a big interruption. But then with any big life experience, it makes you more resilient."

Rihanna says she's now determined to turn her negative experience into a positive. "Many people go through something real like this and to sufferers, it’s almost as if you’re not allowed to talk about it," she says. "I like to think that from the beginning of my career, people have looked up to me. Hopefully this story is something else that people can take inspiration from. I want to help young women who have been through this sort of violence. There is help out there."

In jollier Rihanna news, she also says she's proper excited about performing on The X Factor (yes, every story has an X Factor twist - you should know this by now) later this month. "I am beyond excited – it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made," she said. "A lot of people watch the show over here on You Tube and I personally caught a lot of it when Leona Lewis was on who’s an amazing artist. So to say yes to Simon was an honour, especially as I know the show so well."

In fact, she appears to know the show so well that she's even copied Jedward's hair. What do you mean she had it first? We're sick of your lies.

(Pic: Splash News)