Press coverage 'takes toll' on Brown

Chris Brown has been struggling to cope with negative press coverage in recent weeks, the star's friend Tyrese Gibson has claimed.

R&B singer Brown was arrested in February after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna.

The couple reunited shortly after the incident following discussions at Sean Combs's home in Miami. However, reports suggest that they have since decided to "take a break in their relationship".

Discussing Brown's current state of mind, Transformers star Gibson revealed: "Although he appears to be really strong through all of this, it's really taking a toll on his spirit.

"People like me and [Combs], we're just trying to show him love and keep his spirits up while he's going through all of the heat, and there are a lot people doing the same for Rihanna."

He added: "It's really hard for him to focus right now on his music, even though he really wants to.

"At the end of the day, I'm not trying to justify it because wrong is wrong, but unfortunately, us as entertainers, we have to grow up on stage with a lot of people looking at us. And a lot of people forget that he's 19, she's only 21."

Rihanna was recently spotted looking "pretty cosy" with Lindsay Lohan's ex Wilmer Valderrama at a Hollywood nightclub.