In February of 2009 Rihanna was beaten at the hands of her then boyfriend Chris Brown which was apparent in a police picture seen around the world.

In September of 2009 Chris Brown broke his silence and appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live.  Up until now, Rihanna has not spoken about the incident but will change all that on Thursday when she appears on Good Morning America with a taped interview and again on a TV Special on 20/20 Friday night.  She says of the assault:

“This happened to me. It can happen to anyone.”

It was difficult for her to come to grips with it all because:

“He was definitely my first big love.”

Rihanna is seen here in Manhattan last night.  Her new album, Rated R is being released later this month.

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Photos:  www.wenn.com