"Because I didn't think I was going to make it through the night," she said.
Grigorieva goes on to say, although released separately, all of the recordings were made on the same night -- a night she feared for her life.
"I really didn't think I'm going to make it," she said.
"I'm devastated. Everybody's devastated and well, I think Mel is basically trivializing domestic violence and this is very, very sad," Grigorieva added.
The two are locked in a bitter custody battle over their 8-month-old daughter.
The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is investigating claims that Gibson punched Grigorieva in the head in January while she was holding the little girl. Child Protective Services is also said to be investigating.
Meanwhile, Gibson's lawyers are accusing Grigorieva of extortion, which she denies.
"No, I've never extorted anything from him. There's no proof of any kind. It's all false information that he's feeding the press and it's a smear campaign clearly to me," she said.
Grigorieva ended the impromptu interview with this message for her ex: "Speak the truth. Tell the truth for the sake of your daughter."
Eyewitness News called Mel Gibson's representatives for a response to the interview with his ex-girlfriend, but they say he has no comment.
