Chris Brown has posted an Instagram story with a love heart and prayer emoji to apparently congratulate Rihanna on her bombshell Super Bowl performance.

The pair famously dated over a decade ago, but their relationship hit rocks after it was revealed Brown assaulted her in 2009 and left her ‘spitting blood’.

He admitted to beating Rihanna ahead of her scheduled performance at that year’s Grammys and pleaded guilty to felony assault.

But despite their past, Brown has often shown public affection and support for Rihanna – who stole the halftime show in Arizona on Sunday night.

The singer, 33, posted a story on his social media – simply writing ‘Go girl’ with a red heart and prayer emoji. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice that he may have used the red emoji to represent Rihanna’s stellar scarlet ensemble.

Baby number two! Her appearance also set of pregnancy speculation online due to her tight-fitting garment, but shortly after the Halftime show wrapped up she confirmed that she was expecting her second child

In 2017, the rapper revealed in his documentary Chris Brown: Welcome To My Life, how things took a turn for the worse after he came clean about his sexual past with a woman who once worked for him.

Chris claimed that the confession came as a shock to the Barbadian singer, 34, after he had previously told her they were never romantically involved – causing their relationship to turn violent.

Speaking candidly about the incident which made international headlines, Chris revealed: ‘She hated me. After that, I tried everything. She didn’t care, she just didn’t trust me after that.

‘From there, it just went downhill because it would be fights, it would be verbal fights, physical fights as well. Mutual sides, it is the first time I get to say anything.’

He continued: ‘I still love Rihanna, but I’m just going to be honest – we would fight each other, she would hit me, I would hit her, but it never was OK. It was always a point to where we talk about it like, ‘What the f**k are we doing?”

As they were: The two dated from 2007 to 2009 until a violent car altercation, when Brown attacked Rihanna, leaving her face bruised and requiring hospitalization; Pictured in 2008

The Forever hitmaker added: ‘If I go on stage, I got a scratch on my face, and I’ve got to explain it, like ‘Oh I fell’, or if you got a scar or a bruise, you got to put make up on.

‘Sh*t, I’m not ever trying to put my hands on any female,’ Chris continued.

‘I felt like a f**king monster,’ he said in the clip.

It’s not the first time the singer has posted a no-context Instagram story in dedication to his ex-girlfriend.

After she gave birth in 2022, he wrote ‘Congratulations,’ with a pregnant woman emoji as well as the prayer hands and red heart symbols.

And over the years, Brown has taken to social media to wish his ex girlfriend a happy birthday.

In 2012 Chris and Rihanna reconciled and dated briefly before splitting again the following year.

Chris Brown, who pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna, appears in court for allegedly violating his probation in Los Angeles, California, USA on March 17, 2014