Rumors have persisted for many months now that pop singer Rihanna has rekindled her relationship with Chris Brown, forgiving his brutal assault four years ago – and according to new interviews with both stars, their reconciliation is no longer rumor but fact.

In the new issue of Elle UK magazine that hits newsstands tomorrow, Rihanna pairs her fashion spread with statements claiming that she has forgiven her longtime love.

“Now that we’re adults, we can do this right,” she explained. “We got a fresh start and I’m thankful for that. Right now that’s just what we want, a great friendship that’s unbreakable.”

“Stay is a story about having love that close and wanting it to last forever,” she tells the magazine of her new single, a duet she sings with Brown. “You don’t have that feeling with everybody, so when you have it you don’t want to let go…I would definitely say that [Brown] is the one I have that kind of relationship with.”

Brown, meanwhile, recently granted an interview to the UK Mirror, saying that beating Rihanna up was the “deepest regret” of his life. “She loves me,” explained the 23-year-old. “What can I say? I’m forgiven … but, yes, I worked hard for it.”

“Sometimes you row, you fight, with the one you love,” he added. “Things get said, stuff spirals.”

After the 2009 incident that left Rihanna badly beaten, the singer got a tattoo of a gun on the right side of her rib cage, which the 25-year-old says she chose to show strength, and as a reminder to never be victimized again. “Everybody wanted to know what was happening in my life. Is she a drug addict? No. Is she an alcoholic? No. Is she a victim? No.” Rihanna explained. “That’s why I got the gun…it was a symbol.”

Despite what appears to be a concerted effort to make the public approve of their reconciliation after so many have advised Rihanna to be a model for targets of abuse and find love elsewhere, many continue to condemn their romance. For a recent example, look no further than Oscar host Seth Macfarlane, who took a shot at the controversial couple, referring to the brutal slavery film “Django Unchained” as “date Night for Chris Brown and Rihanna.” In his interview, however, Brown said it is to be expected.

“People attack me and criticize me, it happens all the time,” he insisted. “But they don’t know me, and they don’t know us. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

He added: “Other people can judge us, but they don’t know anything.”

Rihanna told Elle magazine that she is both optimistic of the couple’s future together, and interested in starting a family and having a child within five years. “Now that we’re adults, we can do this right,” Rihanna told the magazine. “We got a fresh start and we’re thankful for that.”

Brown seems to be on the same page, although recent events like this and this may indicate otherwise. “I’ve learned a lot since that night and I’ve grown up. I was very young and I took a lot of stuff, fame, for granted,” Brown explained. “I didn’t understand it. The support from those who do know me and the fans, who are incredible, got me through.”