Denise Richards Opens Up About Her Divorce With ‘Toxic’ Charlie Sheen
After more than a decade since her divorce from the “Two and a Half Men” star Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards revealed the troubles in their relationship and shared why she called it quits with him.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” actress split from her ex Charlie in 2005 when she was six months pregnant with their second child Lola.
Denise appeared on the August 10 episode of Dear Media’s “Divorced Not Dead” podcast, where she spilled the beans about her highly publicized divorce with Charlie.
Sharing that it was a “difficult” breakup, the actress disclosed to host Caroline Stanbury that “many things” caused their marriage to end. She revealed on the show: “The behind-the-scenes stuff was way worse than what was out there.”
She added that though they presented a united front in public, they weren’t really happy at home and things were pretty bad. In fact, it was “toxic.”
According to Denise, the breaking point came when she asked herself: “Would I want my daughters to be married to this man?” To which she added, “No offense to him, but I think he would take that and understand what I’m saying.”
In the end, Denise and Charlie parted ways.
However, in spite of their difficult past, Denise said that she does not have any regrets about her marriage with Charlie as she feels they were brought together to have their daughters Sami, 18, and Lola, 17.
During the interview, Denise also shared that the couple reunited “for a very brief time” after Lola’s birth. However, it didn’t last long as their reconciliation only reminded her why they needed to end their marriage in the first place.
Denise describes her motivation: “It made me also know I could one day tell my girls that I did everything I could possibly do to make this family unit.”
She also added, “I felt the most guilty splitting up the family unit. I struggled with that for years.”
She further revealed in the episode: “There is a lot that the public doesn’t know, and you never know what goes on behind closed doors. It was not a good situation.”
Despite their marriage not working out, she admitted that their bond has “evolved” over time and now they are in a better place: “To this day, Charlie does know he can call me at any time, no matter what. I don’t care what he says or does, I will show up and be there because I always wanted him — and still do — to be the best dad for our daughters.”
Earlier this year, Denise called Charlie out for objecting to their daughter Sami’s OnlyFans social media account. At the time, Charlie responded by saying that Denise “has illuminated a variety of salient points, that in my haste, I overlooked and dismissed.” He added: “Now more than ever, it’s essential that Sami have a united parental front to rely upon, as she embarks on this new adventure. From this moment forward, she’ll have it abundantly.”
After the couple divorced, Denise adopted a daughter named Eloise in 2011 and later tied the knot with holistic medicine expert Aaron Phypers in 2018.
Charlie has yet to release a statement regarding Denise’s recent public disclosures.
