Rihanna's video for her latest number one single, 'We Found Love', has been banned in France due to its "self-destruction" message, according to W.E.N.N.

Officials at the Supreme Audiovisual Council of France have banned the video from airing on TV before the watershed at 10pm due to its content.

The video sees the 23-year-old singer smoking cigarettes, shoplifting and being in an abusive relationship with her onscreen lover, Dudley O'Shaugnessy, which was recently called a "disgrace" by the spokesperson for The Rape Crisis Centre. 

The video intially caused a stir when the shoot was shut down by DUP Alderman Alan Graham for being too "inappropriate".

However, Melina Matsoukas, the video's director, says that the video shows the star gaining strength because she chooses to leave the relationship:

"...I think it's also about being triumphant over those weaknesses, and she leaves him. It's not trying to glorify that type of relationship. The bad parts of it, that's what you don't want. In the end, her leaving, it represents her getting that out of her life".

The video for the Barbadian singer's song 'S&M' was also banned in more than 10 countries upon its release in January 2011.

Check out the videos for Rihanna's 'We Found Love' and 'S&M' below: