Cheryl Cole has said that it is time that people forgave Chris Brown for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna back in 2009.
Brown assaulted Rihanna on the evening of the 2009 Grammy Awards and was subsequently sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community labour. Earlier this year, a US court rejected his plea to end his probation term.
Speaking on The Hits radio station, Cole stated that she thought it as time Brown was forgiven by everyone and that she respected Rihanna for doing so herself, NME Magazine reports.
Asked about what she thought of the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation, Cole said: "I think it's really kind of Rihanna actually. She's come out and publicly forgiven him really. I think it's about time we all did if I'm completely honest, if you want my opinion."
Asked why, she added: "I work with people all the time with my charity that are transformed characters. They've done things when they were young that they regret, they've been to prison and they're now upstanding members of the public and help our community and are amazing people."
Then speaking about why she believed people were still hostile towards Brown and what she thought of him, she said: "I think because he's in the limelight. He hasn't had the chance to be forgiven or to forgive himself because we haven't let him. Now that she's come out and embraced him again, I think it's time we all moved on. That guy is talented as hell."
Cheryl Cole will release 'A Million Lights' on June 18. The record will be the singer's third studio album and is the follow-up to her 2010 effort 'Messy Little Raindrops'.
'A Million Lights' will be the first album that the singer releases under the name of 'Cheryl'. Last month, it was revealed that she was getting rid of her surame for her recording career, as she is eager to distance herself from her former marriage to Premiership footballer Ashley Cole, who she divorced in 2010 following several high-profile claims that he had cheated on her.
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