Chris Brown: 'I was so fat when I got out of jail I went into hiding'

Chris Brown became a recluse after spending three months in jail earlier this year (14) because he piled on the pounds behind bars.

The Fine China singer served his time after he was kicked out of a rehab facility, where he was receiving court-ordered anger management following a fight outside a Washington, D.C. hotel while still on probation for his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna, and he admits he let himself go during his sentence.

He tells news show Extra, "My normal weight is, like, 180 (pounds); I was 215 (pounds) when I got out of jail. I couldn't fit in my jeans, fit in my clothes.

"I was scared to go out. I was like, 'Man, people will see me and I look fat', so after a while I went and played a lot of basketball, a lot of cardio, we did the New Flame video, BET awards, a couple of other shows, I was always dancing, always dancing, trying to get my body back."

Meanwhile, Brown insists his jail time helped him mature as a person and taught him a few valuable lessons.

He explains, "It was definitely one of the things I'll never forget. I think, for me, it's now about what's the purpose and what's the goal that Chris Brown as a person and Chris Brown as an artist is trying to portray.

"I just learned that nobody's invincible, everybody's equal, at the same time no amount of celebrity status, no amount of how many fans love you, no amount of anything can deter you away from the real if you make a mistake and nobody's excusable."

And the singer insists he's determined to be more of a role model moving forward, telling Access Hollywood, "I felt like I needed to be more of a role model... an icon with what I do with my talent. I wanna be known for legendary music and one of the best dancers and stuff like that. I don't want to be known for the mishaps in my life. It's time to make a change."