RIHANNA: 'MY TV INTERVIEW WILL SAVE LIVES'

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Rihanna is proud she discussed the abuse she suffered at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown on TV, insisting the interview is already saving lives.

The Umbrella singer opened up about her Februrary (09) fight with Brown, which left her battered and bruised, in a chat with journalist Diane Sawyer on U.S. news show 20/20 last week (06Nov09).

The 21 year old insists she agreed to appear on the programme in order to "give insight to young women who have been through what I have" - and she insists talking about the assault, which landed Brown a hefty community service sentence, has already inspired scores of people in similar situations to seek help.

Sh e says, "(The fan response has been) insane, and for a little statistic, there's the national domestic violence hotline and their calls went up by 59 per cent. And the helpline geared towards teenagers went up 73 per cent since the interview. So it's actually helping save lives."

An estimated eight million viewers in the U.S. tuned in to watch and listen to Rihanna detail the violent sequence of events for the first time on 20/20.