Rihanna knew Oprah would be ‘sensitive and respectful,’ and knew the interview would be something her late grandma would support, a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY! Read on for the inside scoop.

Rihanna hasn’t really talked much about the assault she suffered at the hand of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, so we were all surprised to hear that she’d opened up about the dark time in her life in a new interview with Oprah Winfrey.
When penpointreview.blogspot.com asked a source close to Rihanna why she opened up, we were told exclusively, “I guess she just felt it was time to talk…There was no way she would turn down talking to Oprah. So when you ask me why, the answer is because it was Oprah asking.”
Our source admits that Rihanna doesn’t like to be interviewed often because “reporters will always ask the same questions and it f***s with her.” They continue, though, “We all knew Oprah was gone ask…about that and Rihanna was cool with it. It was hard for her to talk about s*** over and over again. She was in a bad place three years ago and it f***ed her up for real.”
However, the knowledge that Oprah would handle the interview respectfully is what eventually led Rihanna to participate. “She knew Oprah would be sensitive and respectful and who better to open up to than [her?] Her crew knew Oprah wouldn’t make her look or feel stupid…so she let Oprah do the…interview,” our source says.
But that wasn’t the only thing that led Rihanna to talk. Her beloved grandma Dolly, who passed away recently, was a factor in the decision, as well. Our source says, “She felt comfortable talking to Oprah, and she knew this was something her grandma would support, so she went for it.”
Rihanna’s interview with Oprah airs Sunday, August 19 on OWN.
Are you excited to see Rihanna’s interview with Oprah, HollywoodLifers?