Rihanna's boyfriend Karim Benzema is her 'best friend'

Rihanna and Karim Benzema

Rihanna feels like her boyfriend Karim Benzema is like her ''best friend'' because they were pals for so long before they started dating. 

The 'Diamonds' singer has been on a string of dates with the Real Madrid soccer player in recent weeks after first meeting at the World Cup tournament last summer and the 27-year-old beauty has reportedly told friends the relationship feels very different to her past romances with the likes of Chris Brown, Drake, and Leonardo DiCaprio, because she got to know him well through calls and texts first.

A source said: ''It's taken a long time for the relationship to get off the ground but she says that's what makes it so special. ''He's the first guy she's actually gotten to know before diving in head first. ''She's been telling people she's never experienced anything like this in her life and that she trusts him like her best friend.''

And Rihanna is said to have been ''completely swept off her feet'' by the French sportsman - who has 16-month-old daughter Melia from a previous relationship - and friends are astonished by her transformation.

A source told LOOK magazine: ''Rihanna seems to have undergone a major transformation. She's gone from saying that she doesn't believe in monogamy at all, to talking about how she just wants to be with one guy. ''It's all because of Karim, he's completely swept her off her feet.''

They may have only been dating for a short while, but pals wouldn't be surprised if the couple take things to the next level very soon. Another source said: ''Secretly I think Rihanna would love a proposal. And Karim has hinted that he's got his eye on a diamond ring just for her.

''But at the moment, she's just enjoying it and seems to be truly happy for the first time in a long while.''