I've been in love with Rihanna since I was 22': Says Drake Graham

I've been in love with her since I was 22': Drake leans in to kiss Rihanna (but she's suddenly shy) as he presents her with Vanguard Award after her FOUR performances

Drake revealed to the world that he has been in love with Rihanna since he was in his early twenties while presenting her with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award on Sunday night.

The 29-year-old, who has been romantically linked with Rihanna, raved about the hit-maker after arriving on stage in his tuxedo with the award in his hands.

'She's someone I've been in love with since I was 22-years-old,' Drake admitted as he delivered a lengthy and glowing speech in honour of Rihanna immediately following her fourth performance during the MTV Video Music Awards.

Drake's appearance triggered speculation among fans that he was actually going to propose to Rihanna when he presented the award to her.

She's one of my best friends in the world,' Drake added in his speech. 'All my adult life, I've looked up to her, even though she's younger than me.'

 She's a living, breathing legend in our industry, ladies and gentleman, the recipient of the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award for 2016, Rihanna.'

As Rihanna gave him a peck on the cheek, Drake continued to lean in to kiss her on the neck. 

The style stakes are always incredibly high at the VMAs, as the pop princesses from the globe over go head to head in the style stakes.

Rihanna had all bases covered with several outfit changes throughout the night. But our favorite has got to be this show stopping Alexandre Vauthier gown she wore to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

With its voluminous heavy silk skirt, nipped in waist and golden hue, this coat style gown packs a punch when it comes to making an impact, and Rihanna gets ten out of ten from us!

This dress is part of Alexandre Vauthier’s Fall 2016 Couture collection so is not available to buy online, but you can follow the link on the right to shop the ready-to-wear line at Farfetch!

Or alternatively emulate Rihanna’s look for your next big event with one of the picks from our edit below. If you’re a label lover Alexander McQueen and The Row have great options; meanwhile PrettyLittleThing and Never Fully Dressed have more bank balance friendly alternatives.

But the kiss didn't last very long, as he pulled away after several seconds just before Rihanna said several words to him. 

'MTV, this is such an amazing night, it's such an amazing moment in my career,' Rihanna started off her speech. 'When I think about the Vanguard Award and receiving this tonight, all I could think of was my country. They're gonna be so proud, this is the first Vanguard to land anywhere close to my country,' she said.

'And so, you know my success, it started as my dream. But now my success is not my own.  It's my family's, it's my fan's, it's my country's, it's the Caribbean as a whole, it's women, it's black women, so many people feel like their little piece is such a major part of this puzzle, and I have to thank you guys for supporting me over and over.

'Thank you to every director whose taken a chance on me, and a chance with my crazy ideas, there's just so much growth that has happened over the last eleven years, and I can't believe I'm receiving a Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at 28 years old.

'It's crazy. And I have so many people to thank, I mean, from the very beginning. Evan and Carl, from SRP, you guys believed in me, you brought me straight to Jay-Z's office, where I met Jay, Tata, L.A. 

Reid, Jay Brown, my whole publicity team, my grandpeeps, so many people, man, they write with me from day to day.

'And my best friends, they never left me. They actually followed my a** all the way to America, gettin' on my d*amn nerves.  They here right now, just witnessing this.

This is a big moment. Thank you to Drake, for that amazing speech. Thank you to MTV, I had so much fun! Good night!'

The songbird then left the stage hand-in-hand with Drake, but not before appearing to share another kiss with him.

Vulture.com tweeted it was 'The curve to end all curves,' while the Twitter account of the VMAs itself put the kiss on a loop, tweeting: 'I'm just gonna leave this gem right here.

Rihanna and Drake have dated in the past, having known each other since they were kids.

Overall, it was an unforgettable night for Rihanna, who lit up the MTV Video Music Awards that evening with an astounding four performances.

The singer first got the awards show started off with a medley of some of her most classic hits.

The songs included We've Found Love, Only Girl, and Where Have You Been.

Flanked by an army of back-up dancers, Rihanna stepped out onto a stage decorated by fluffy white props while sporting a pair of bright red sunglasses.

Though for the most part covered up, the star's outfit gave just a glimpse of her dance-honed physique.

She had her jet black tresses slicked back into an extra high pony tail as she performed in a pair of slashed baby pink trousers and a funky corset with sleeves attached.

Rihanna also wore a clingy top that read Hood By Air and furry shoes, no doubt making it easy for her to perform a riveting performance.

The hit-maker donned a slick of bright red lipstick and a glittering choker necklace to accessorize the all-pink look up.