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It’s been more than a year since Chris Brown pled guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna. And after keeping relatively quiet about the infamous post-Grammys incident, Rihanna opens up about the experience in the December issue of Marie Claire.
"God has a crazy way of working, and sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’ Why was it backfiring on me?’" the Grammy Award-winning singer tells the magazine. "But I needed that wake-up call in my life. I needed a turning point, and that’s what God was giving to me."
But all the press made it even harder, she admits. "All this terrible stuff they say to you, it breaks you down. [But] once you’re back on your feet — if you ever make it back on your feet — that’s the ultimate achievement."

Rihanna also reveals when she knew it was over with Brown. "I remember I was in New York at the Trump Hotel and I woke up and I just knew I was over it. It was a different day. I felt different. I didn’t feel lonely. I felt like I wanted to get up and be in the world. That was a great, great feeling."
And the singer doesn’t seem to regret her decision at all. "I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it’s pure bliss and not just a cover up," Rihanna says.