Rihanna Admits She ‘Still Loves’ Chris Brown In Oprah Interview

Rihanna has taken a lot of flack for her forgiveness of Chris Brown years after he savagely beat her during a relationship spat.

The incident — during which Rihanna suffered multiple contusions, a bloody nose, a split lip and several bite marks necessitating a hospital visit — has divided fans of the singers since news as well as a gruesome image of Rihanna post beating leaked to the media after it became public in early 2009.

To many, Chris Brown is just a man that hits women, no matter how well he can sing. But his career has rebounded to a degree, and among his supporters is Rihanna herself, who expressed a frankly disturbing level of goodwill and concern for Brown despite the fact he physically abused her.

Sounding like a woman in the first half of a Lifetime movie, Rihanna told Oprah:

“We built a trust again and that’s it… We love each other and we probably always will.”

Rihanna explains that they pair are trying to repair their connection:

“We’ve been working on our friendship again and now we’re very close friends and that’s not anything we’re going to try to change.”

But the singer also admits that her feelings for Chris Brown, even after he savagely beat her, continue to get in the way, and she says:

“My stomach drops and I have to maintain this poker face and not let it get to the outer part of me. I have to maintain it and suppress it. When you don’t understand those feelings you can make a lot of mistakes…I think he is the love of my life. He was my first love… I have forgiven him. It took me a long time. I was angry for a long time. I truly love him, so the main thing for me is that he’s at peace… I care.”

Do you think it’s healthy for Rihanna to forgive Chris Brown, or do you think that it’s a bad idea to continue to have a relationship with a partner who has abused you?