As she continues to emerge from her self-induced silence, Rihanna says she’s leaned on her friends and family over the past year to get through the Chris Brown abuse debacle.

She explained, “My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me. But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be—no one can understand.  That’s when you get close to God.”

The “Umbrella” babe also stated that having the media always on her tail didn’t help matters.  “I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day.  It was like, What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?”

To make matters worse, a photograph of her bruised face was released onto the internet, causing her even more pain.  “That is not a photo you would show to anybody.  I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life.”