The 23-year-old singer has revealed he called it a day with the model because he couldn`t give up his close "friendship" with former flame Rihanna, who he was spotted kissing at New York nightclub Griffin on Monday night (01.10.12).

Chris told US Weekly: "I have decided to be single to focus on my career. I love Karrueche very much but I don`t want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna.

"I`d rather be single allowing us to both be happy in our lives."

The `Don`t Wake Me Up` hitmaker has dated Karreuche since late 2011, but constant reports of his secret rendez-vous with Rihanna were a source of contention in their relationship.

Karreuche was left fuming and "humiliated" after the recent nightclub incident with her love rival, and took to twitter to post a series of cryptic messages about Chris, ending with: "Bye baby".

Once a free agent, however, Chris wasted no time in meeting up with Rihanna and they were pictured on an intimate date at Jay-Z`s concert at New York`s Barclays Centre last night.

The `Diamonds` singer recently called Chris "the love of my life" in an emotional interview with Oprah Winfrey - despite him violently assaulting her in 2009 - and the pair shared a public peck on the lips at the MTV Video Music Awards last month.

A friend of Chris` has now come forward and said: "Chris really wants to be free to pursue Rihanna now that she wants him back. They will be together, trust me.

"I always told you he`d go back to Rihanna in a heartbeat when she was ready."
sections: Celebrities