'He made that mistake because he needed help': Rihanna breaks down as she opens up to Oprah about Chris Brown assault

Fans of Rihanna are eagerly awaiting her upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the star will open up about her relationship with Chris Brown.And what she has to say about her ex-boyfriend, who was convicted of assaulting her three years ago, in the prerecorded interview will come as a surprise to some.The 24-year-old tells the host: 'I felt like the only person they hate right now is him. It was a weird, confusing space to be in.

'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.'Previously released preview clips of the upcoming TV special Oprah: The Next Chapter, showed Rihanna describe the fall-out from the horrific night after a pre-Grammy party.She said: 'It was embarrassing it was humiliating... I lost my best friend.'

Oprah is then seen asking series of probing questions concerning Rihanna's past and present relationship with Brown, including 'Do you think Chris Brown is a true love for you?' and 'Where does your relationship stand today?'While producers saved Rihanna's answers for the actual episode, her replies managed to shock the talk show queen.Oprah exclaims: 'I would have never thought that.

You just shocked me.'In one of the promos ahead of the episode, Oprah, 58, reveals she had a pre-conceived idea of what to expect when she travelled to the singer's home country of Barbados.During the documentary, which was filmed on August 5, Rihanna went back to her childhood home in the island capital Bridgetown.

'It's amazing how lonely you can feel.'As well as crying, Rihanna also burst into laughter when Oprah commented on her frequent use of the F-word.Oprah also praised Rihanna for her skills behind the wheel: 'First of all I'm surprised by what a good driver she is.'Visiting her former home, Rihanna appears down-to-earth and humble as she chats to her old neighbours and embraces local children.

Teasing viewers to watch the interview, she said: 'She pushes the edge a lot, and there’s a reason for that.'Rihanna's appearance on Oprah's OWN channel comes three years after the talk show queen made a public appeal to the singer to leave her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.Oprah spoke out a month after Rihanna was assaulted by the R&B singer, amidst rumours at the time they were still together.

The TV presenter said in 2009: 'If a man hits you once, he will hit you again. He will hit you again. It makes me so sad. Love doesn't hurt.'Both Chris Brown and Rihanna, if I were your friend, I would call you up and say give it some time. Get yourself some counseling. Take care of yourself. Heal yourself first.'Winfrey is hoping the Rihanna special will help her struggling network continue its comeback.