Rihanna opens up about romance with Saudi businessman Hassan Jameel

The superstar revealed her dreams of starting a family in a candid new interview

Singer Rihanna, the first black woman in history to head up a major Parisian luxury house, poses as she unveiled her first fashion designs for Fenty at a pop-up store in Paris, France, Wednesday, May 22, 2019. The collection, named after the singer turned designer's last name, comprises ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and eyewear and is available for sale Paris' Le Marais area from Friday and will debut online May 29. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
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They were first linked two years ago, but Rihanna has kept rather tight-lipped over her relationship with Hassan Jameel since rumours started swirling.

The Barbadian singer and the Saudi Arabian businessman, who were first photographed together in June 2017, have kept their romance off social media and red carpets since it first began.

However, the Diamonds hitmaker and entrepreneur this week opened up about her personal life in a candid interview, revealing she is very much "in love" with her beau.

"It's only the last couple years that I started to realise that you need to make time for yourself, because your mental health depends on it," Rihanna told Interview magazine. "If you're not happy, you're not going to be happy even doing things that you love doing."

The star added, in the interview conducted by actress Sarah Paulson, whom she starred alongside in Ocean's 8, that she's started to make more space for personal time.

"I got into a new relationship, and it matters to me. It was like, 'I need to make time for this.' Just like I nurture my businesses, I need to nurture this as well," Rihanna said. "I’ll shut things down for two days, three days at a time. On my calendar we now have the infamous 'P,' which means personal days. This is a new thing."

The Grammy winner and founder of Fenty Beauty – who also launched her own ready-to-wear fashion line, Fenty, with LMVH last month – also told Paulson to "Google" who she was dating.

When asked by the actress if she was in love, Rihanna replied "of course I am", before leaving a long silence when asked if she was planning to get married.

"Only god knows that, girl. We plan and god laughs, right?" she eventually joked, adding that she wants to be a mother "more than anything in life".

Rihanna and Jameel, who is deputy president and vice chairman of his family’s company, Abdul Latif Jameel Domestic, were most recently pictured together earlier this month, spending Eid in Italy.

The holiday came as Rihanna was revealed to be the music industry’s richest woman at the age of 31.

With eight albums, numerous world tours, a groundbreaking beauty company, and now a luxury fashion label, the Barbadian star has amassed an estimated fortune of $600 million (Dh2.2 billion).

According to Forbes’ round-up of the richest women in music, Rihanna’s fortune outstretches the likes of Madonna ($570 million), Celine Dion ($450 million), and Beyonce ($400 million).