Rihanna gets why the Chris Brown thing is still such a big deal.

For all the rumours about her love life, Rihanna ‘s last actual boyfriend was Chris Brown, with whom she split in 2009.

Brown, her first love, beat her bloody in the back of a rented Lamborghini the night before the 2009 Grammy and apparently left her on the side of the road.

It’s an awful incident that will be associated with 27-year-old Rihanna perhaps forever. The singer says that even though it was six years ago, she’s still being punished for thinking she could make that relationship work.

Rihanna has been single since she broke up with Chris Brown. Image via Instagram.

In 2012, she asked a judge to lift the restraining order against him and they reconciled, briefly.

In the November issue of Vanity Fair, Rihanna talked openly about her relationship with Brown.

She admitted that she believed she could change Brown.

Chris Brown and Rihanna.

“A hundred per cent. I was very protective of him. I felt that people didn’t understand him. Even after… But you know, you realize after a while that in that situation you’re the enemy.”

Despite the assault being a long way in the past, Rihanna often finds it coming back to haunt her, such as in 2014, when the N.F.L. and TV station CBS decided against using her hit song Run This Town featuring Kanye West and Jay-Z.

Why? Because of an horrific domestic violence scandal involving one of their players, Ray Rice.

Rihanna says she’s single for many reasons. Her schedule, her fame, her suspicion of people’s motives all figure. And she thinks men are afraid to show women love.

Rihanna says she’ll wait forever for the right man, rather than settle.

“You want them to feel good being a man, but now men are afraid to be men. They think being a real man is actually being a pussy, that if you take a chair out for a lady, or you’re nice or even affectionate to your girl in front of your boys, you’re less of a man. It’s so sick… girls are settling for that, but I won’t. I will wait forever if I have to.”

As for Brown, Rihanna says she doesn’t have any hard feelings.

“I don’t hate him. I will care about him until the day I die. We’re not friends, but it’s not like we’re enemies. We don’t have much of a relationship now.”

Click through to see why RiRi’s too busy for boys.

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This is exactly what our holiday paddle-boarding snaps look like.

Rihanna - image via Instagram @badgalriri

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Met Gala after parties.

Met Gala after parties.

Met Gala after parties.

Met Gala 2015

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Grimace? Is that you? Rihanna via Instagram

Rihanna via Instagram

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