During an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul Conversations podcast, she said: "We've been working on our friendship again. Now we're very very close friends. We've built up a trust again, and that's - we love each other and we probably always will. And that's not something we're ever going to change. That's not something you can shut off, if you've ever been in love.
"I think he was the love of my life. He was the first love. And I see that he loved me the same way ... it's not even about us being together. I truly love him. So the main thing for me is that he's at peace. I'm not at peace if he's a little unhappy, or he's still lonely."
Despite revealing their deep feelings for one another, Rihanna doesn't believe that she and Chris, 31, will ever rekindle their romance, especially as he is happy in his relationship with Ammika Harris, the mother of his son Aeko Catori Brown.
She added: "He's in a relationship of his own. I'm single but we have maintained a very close friendship ever since the restraining order has been dropped. We've just worked on it, little by little, and it has not been easy. It's not easy."
The Diamonds singer told Oprah, 66, that it was the repairing of her damaged relationship with her father Ronald Fenty that led to her fully forgiving Chris for his actions.
She shared: "I repaired my relationship with my dad. I was so angry with him, and I was just angry about a lot of things from my childhood and I couldn't separate him as a husband from him as a father.
"I thought I hated Chris and I realised it was love was tarnished. It looked like hate because it was ugly, angry, it was inflamed, it was tainted. And I realised that what it was is I had to forgive him because I cared about him still. And the minute I let go of that, I started living again."
Rihanna also told Oprah that in the aftermath of Chris' attack on her and subsequent arrest she was more worried about the effect the incident was going to have on him and his career than her own wellbeing.
She added: "I was hurt most, nobody felt what I felt. It happened to me ... I felt protective. I felt the only person they hate right now is him. It was a weird confusing space to be in because as angry as I was, and hurt and betrayed, I felt like he made that mistake because he needed help, and who's going to help him?
"I was more concerned about him."
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - DO YOU NEED HELP?
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours of friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people.
• Scream for help so that your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you.
• Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay
Where to go for help or more information:
• Shine, free national helpline 9am- 11pm every day - 0508 744 633 www.2shine.org.nz
• Women's Refuge: Free national crisis line operates 24/7 - 0800 refuge or 0800 733 843 www.womensrefuge.org.nz
• Shakti: Providing specialist cultural services for African, Asian and middle eastern women and their children. Crisis line 24/7 0800 742 584
• It's Not Ok: Information line 0800 456 450 www.areyouok.org.nz
