Chris Brown opens up about Rihanna assault: I felt like a monster

The singer said he contemplated suicide following the backlash
Emma Powell18 April 2016
The Weekender

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Chris Brown has said he felt like a monster after assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

Brown, 26, reflected on the attack in a trailer for his forthcoming documentary, Welcome To My Life, where he also revealed he was left feeling suicidal.

"I went from being on top of the world, number one songs, being kind of like America's sweetheart, to being public enemy number one,” the singer says.

"I felt like a f****** monster. I was thinking about suicide and everything else. I wasn't sleeping. I barely ate. I just was getting high."

Brown’s mother, Joyce Hawkins, also recalls her feelings following the backlash her son received.

"That was the worst day of my life and probably his life,” she says. “I felt like I was going to lose my child.”

The two minute clip – which features appearances from Usher and Jennifer Lopez – finishes with Brown announcing his return.

“If there was ever a doubt in your mind that Chris Brown was done, he was finished,” he said. “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Brown assaulted Rihanna after a pre-Grammys party in February 2009. He was sentenced to five years of probation, a year of domestic violence counselling, and six months of community service.

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