MARC ANTHONY Wanted to Reconcile ... But J.Lo Chose Casper EXCLUSIVE Marc Anthony held out hope for a reconciliation with Jennifer Lopez, but decided to file for divorce when she told him ... she's madly in love with BF Casper Smart ... TMZ has learned. TMZ broke the story ... Marc filed for divorce Monday -- nine months after the couple announced they were splitting. But sources extremely close to Marc tell us, he didn't make the decision on his own -- he had a heart-to-heart with J.Lo a few weeks back to see if she really, truly wanted to end the marriage. We're told he said he wanted to give the marriage another try, but Jennifer confessed ... she was deeply in love with Casper ... and wanted to pursue that relationship. We're told Marc was blindsided ... he had not idea things were so serious -- and he was hurt. So that's why Marc filed divorce papers this week. 

Rihanna on Ex-Boyfriend Chris Brown: I'll Do What I Want to Do

Rihanna shows off her hot body in a racy spread for Elle -- but it's what she's saying about Chris Brownin the magazine that's really got our attention.  

Despite a physically abusive relationship, Rihanna surprised everyone by recording new music with Brown earlier this year ... and now, she's defending keeping him in her life.

“The bottom line is that everyone thinks differently," she tells Elle. "It’s very hard for me to accept, but I get it. People end up wasting their time on the blogs or whatever, ranting away, and that’s all right. Because tomorrow I’m still going to be the same person. I’m still going to do what I want to do.”

As for the breakup from Chris and the intense media attention over their violent relationship, Rihanna says "It gave me guns."

She adds, "They know more about me than I want them to know. It’s embarrassing. But that was my opening. That was my liberation, my moment of bring it. […] Now you know that, so you can say what you want about it. I don’t have anything to hide.”

In the issue she also talks kids ("It could be tomorrow. It could be 20 years from now") and finding a man ("There’s just a major drought out there").