Evelyn Lozada Says She Still Loves Chad in Interview with ABC's 'Nightline'

In her first interview since filing divorce to former Miami Dolphin Chad Johnson, Evelyn Lozada opens up about her failed marriage and how she has been coping.

"It's the hardest thing in the world to walk away from someone that you really love," Lozada tells ABC's 'Nightline'exclusively. "But you have to walk away because I have to protect myself."

The 'Basketball Wives' star recalls the vivid details of the Aug. 11 battle that reportedly took place outside of the ex-couple's Miami home over a receipt for a box of condoms she found inside of a car Johnson drove. "And then the next thing I know, he grabbed me by here (pointing to her head) and he head-butted me," Lozada said. "I felt blood coming down my face… and I looked at him and I said, 'You just head-butted me?' And it just -- everything just felt if it was in slow motion."

Lozada adds that the incident was the cause for their separation. "I said to myself, 'I'm never going to go through that again, ever,'" she said. "I don't think any woman should ever have to feel like that or be fearful of her husband." She said she will not get back together with Johnson and refuses to talk to him.

Though their marriage lasted for 41 days, Lozada says there's still love between them. "I believe he loves me. I believe he needs to get help," she said. "He's a good guy that made a bad choice. I still love him. I feel bad for him because his life is now a mess."

The full interview with Amy Robach airs tonight on ABC at 11:35p.m. ET. Watch the preview before.