Oprah Winfrey interview: Rihanna breaks down over Chris Brown assault

Rihanna opens up to Oprah Winfrey about the highly-publicized domestic violence incident with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and grows emotional when she describes her emotions to the media mogul in an upcoming interview on OWN.

During the hotly-anticipated interview, set to air Sunday night on Oprah Winfrey Network, 24-year-old Rihanna expresses her confusion and shame about the beating and tells Oprah she felt her ex-beau needed help after he assaulted her.

“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,” the 24-year-old pop singer tells the host in a preview clip, adding, “And I was more concerned about him.”

Preview clips of the upcoming TV special “Oprah: The Next Chapter” also show Rihanna recalling the bitter details of the assault at the hands of Chris Brown the night after a pre-Grammy party.

In the no-holds-bar interview, the “Umbrella” singer tells the talk show queen that the beating was “embarrassing” and “humiliating,” adding that she lost her best friend after he attacked her back in 2009.

Fans of Rihanna are eagerly awaiting her upcoming interview, in which the Barbados native opens up about her relationship with Chris Brown. Rihanna's appearance on Oprah's OWN channel comes three years after the TV host made a public appeal to the singer to leave her abusive boyfriend.

“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,” Oprah said in 2009, a month after the attack.

According to reports, R&B singer Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna in Los Angeles the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, leaving her visibly battered and bruised. As a result, both Rihanna and Brown pulled out of their performances at the award show.

Brown ultimately pled guilty to felony assault and was later sentenced to a five-year probation, one year of domestic violence counseling and four years of community service. He was also ordered to stay away from the singer. The restraining order has since been lifted.

You can watch “Oprah: The Next Chapter” with Rihanna Sunday August 19 at 9 pm on Winfrey’s OWN cable network.