The 28-year-old, who has previously said that the 'You Da One' singer is her girl crush, said she thinks that Rihanna is the perfect pop star, reported Contactmusic.
"You know what I love about Rihanna? I know she gets a lot of criticism, too, about what she wears and what she sings about, but she is so free. She doesn't care. I love that in her. I love that sense of freedom about her. She's gorgeous and free. A perfect pop star," Cole said.
The "Girls Aloud" singer also believes the pair have had similar experiences in their past relating to their partners.
"She's been through the same thing absolutely. And you can imagine how intense it is when all the world's eyes are on you. So she knows that feeling. But she's free-spirited, she just doesn't give a dam.
"Maybe it's going through everything she's gone through that has enabled her to get to that point. She's like, 'Whatever. What more can you say about us? You can't hurt us any more.' I love that about her. It's liberating. She's liberal," Cole added.