Woman of the Year

Who has Vogue Italia crowned their 2011 winner?...

15:29 26 July 2011

Italian Vogue has named Rihanna as its Woman of the Year.

The S&M singer was honoured for her charity work, pop success and her ability to tackle adversity in her personal life; troubled relationships with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and drug addict father Ronald Fenty.

The publication described the Bajan star, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, as "independent, energetic...[with a] kind and fighting spirit":

"Rihanna is the undisputed best contender to the role of queen of pop. Her career has always been based on the cunning use of sexiness and provocation. 

"She has managed to cultivate her career despite the many tragedies affecting her private life: from her father's addiction to crack ... to the violence caused to her in 2009 by [her] then-boyfriend, Chris."

Twenty-three-year-old Rihanna has campaigned to raise awareness for breast cancer and world famine, and worked closely with Jasmina Anema, a young fan battling leukaemia, to find her a bone marrow donor.

She first graced the cover of the iconic magazine in September 2009 and was featured on the front of US Vogue in April this year.