Rihanna "I Thought Chris Was Perfect"

Rihanna thought her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was "perfect", until he assaulted her.

This week Ri has made her first public appearances since the February attack and has opened-up about the ordeal that left her battered and bruised.

"I've definitely emerged stronger." Rihanna now says. "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. Just when you think somebody was perfect and that it can't happen to you, it does."

"With any big life experience, it makes you more resilient." Ri added to the Mirror. "Many people go through something real like this. To sufferers, it's almost as if you're not allowed to talk about it."

"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 send a message to young women who have been through this sort of violence that there is help out there."

Rihanna released her fourth album 'Rated R' on November 23, featuring the singles Russian Roulette and 'Wait Your Turn'.