Rihanna Talks Childhood, Abuse Ridden Past

Date: 11/07/09 | Newsroom
Filed under: Pop Culture, Rihanna

Rihanna During an anticipated airing of her 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer Rihanna stepped away from music and Chris Brown to discuss a childhood ridden with abuse.

Telling Sawyer she had witnessed regular abuse at the hands of her father, Rihanna admitted, like Brown, to being afraid as a child.

According to the singer, her father was severely abusive to her mother and hit her "numerous" times throughout her childhood. Claiming to have broken glasses in an attempt to distract him and at one point holding onto his leg, Rihanna went on to confirm that her father had, at one point, broken her mother's nose.

After witnessing the abuse and continued violence Rihanna told Sawyer she would never seek or be involved with a man like her father.

"I said to myself, 'I'm never gonna date someone like my dad,' " Rihanna told Sawyer during the interview before repeating "Never."

The interview, which aired late Friday, came months after Brown's guilty plea on felony assault charges stemming from his beating of Rihanna in February.

Both parties are moving forward with their careers at this point.