“That’s embarrassing that that’s the type of person that I fell in love with,” Rihanna said on Good Morning America. “So far in love. So unconditional that I went back. It’s humiliating to say this happened.”

Rihanna said going back to Chris Brown after he beat and bit her the night before the Grammy Awards set a bad example for women who are victims of domestic violence. “When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part… Even if Chris never hit me again, who is to say that their boyfriend won’t? Who’s to say that they won’t kill these girls?”

Even though it was “humiliating” to have to admit she was abused by Chris Brown, Rihanna said she felt she needed to speak out for domestic violence victims. “It’s completely normal to go back. It’s not right. I learned the hard way, but again, this is what I want people to know.”

Speaking out was difficult for Rihanna, however. “There are a lot of women who’ve experienced what I did, but not in the public. So it made it really difficult. I just felt like, ‘Oh my God, here it goes, my little bit of privacy.”

>> Previously: Rihanna on ‘Good Morning America’: Abuse Can Happen to Anyone

On February 8, 2009, Rihanna failed to appear for a scheduled performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Reports soon surfaced the singer had been the victim of a domestic violence assault by then boyfriend Chris Brown. A leaked photograph from the Los Angeles Police Department revealed Rihanna had been beaten and physically abused. Brown later pleaded guilty to felony assault and received five years probation.

“This happened to me… it can happen to anyone,” Rihanna tells Diane Sawyer of the attack in a Good Morning America interview set to air on Thursday and Friday.

Speaking in the December issue of Glamour, Rihanna says the leak of the photo of her injuries to the media was humiliating. “I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the internet, and it’s my life… That is not a photo you would show to anybody.”

Rihanna says the experience had a profound effect on her. “My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me,” she tells Glamour. “But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be—no one can understand.”

“The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that,” Rihanna continues. “I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn’t heard. Now I can help speak for those women.”

>> Previously: Chris Brown Seeks Counseling for Anger Management