Los Angeles, June 24 (IANS): Singer Rihanna feels that her boyfriend Karim Benzema is like her "best friend" because they were friends for so long before they started dating.

The 27-year-old has reportedly told friends the relationship feels very different to her past romances because she got to know him well through calls and texts first.

The "Diamonds" hitmaker 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.

"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," a source told Look magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

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.

The source added: "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."