Getty
Denise Richards is an American actress and former fashion model. These days, she’s gearing up for a new season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
As with all the cast members on RHOBH, Richards’ family is an integral part of the show. What do we know about her family and children?
Read on.
1. She Was Married to Charlie Sheen for Four Years
Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen look for their seats as the New York Yankees take on the New York Mets on June 23, 2012 during interleague play at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Richards met Charlie Sheen on the set of Loaded Weapon 1 in 1991. They became engaged a decade later, and married on June 15, 2002. Together, the couple has two daughters.
Multiple outlets report that the end of their relationship was hostile. Oprah.com writes, “From accusations of drugs, prostitutes and pornography, to suggestions that Denise stole her best friend’s husband, the battle raged on for more than four years.”
According to a 2006 article in The Smoking Gun, Richards wrote in a sworn declaration for their divorce that Sheen “assaulted her and threatened her life” at one point during an incident at the former couple’s home.
Richards says Sheen even pushed her to the ground and screamed, “I hope you f–king die, bitch.”
In her court filing, the actress included transcripts of phone messages left for her by Sheen. The Smoking Gun writes, “In one call, Sheen says, ‘You’re a coward and a liar and a f**king n***** alright so f**k you.’ In a second message, Sheen appears to make a reference to Richards’s female attorney when he complains about ‘two pregnant c****…plotting against the rest of us.'”
Reflecting on her divorce with Oprah.com, Denise says, “There was a lot of verbal abuse… He never hit me; it was a lot of verbal. Arguments got heated. That scared me.”
2. She Is Currently Married to Aaron Phypers
Aaron Phypers and Denise Richards attend American Humane’s 2018 American Humane Hero Dog Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.
In 2018, Richards married Aaron Phypers.
The pair tied the knot just two days after People announced their engagement.
At the time, a source told People, “Aaron and Denise just got engaged and would love to be married sooner than later now that his divorce is finally in his past… The engagement has been a long time coming. He moved on from his past relationship a long time ago, and marrying Denise is a welcome new chapter for both of them in different but equally significant ways. The two of them are very happy and have settled into life with one another, so now they’re pretty focused on getting this very intimate ceremony off the ground. They’re just ready to start their married life together.”
According to Cheat Sheet, Phypers has acted in a few films, including The Curiosity of Penny Parker and The Leap. Previously, he was married to Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan.
3. She Has Three Children
Richards has three children: Sam Sheen, Lola Rose Sheen, and Eloise Joni Richards.
Sam and Lola were part of the reality TV program, Denise Richards: It’s Complicated, which aired in 2008. In May 2010, Richards received sole custody of Sam and Lola.
TMZ announced the news in an article, writing that Charlie and Denise signed a written agreement declaring that Denise receive custody of Sam and Lola, who were 6 and 4, respectively, at the time. The outlet goes on to write, “Now that Denise has full legal custody … she can make medical, schooling and other important decisions without getting Charlie’s sign-off. She can also leave the country with the kids without Charlie’s permission.”
According to People, Richards included a number of disturbing statements in her sworn declaration of divorce. People writes, “Some of the bombshells dropped that include the children: Charlie asked Denise to terminate the pregnancy with Sam when they discovered they were expecting. When they found out they were having a daughter, Charlie was furious that the baby was a girl.”
Today, Sam is 14 and Lola is, 13. In a recent interview with People, Richards said, “I’m most proud of raising my kids, especially in a time that is very different from how I was raised… It’s extremely hard to keep children grounded. This is not an easy time to grow up.”
4. She Adopted a Daughter in June 2011
In June 2011, Richards adopted her daughter, Eloise Joni Richards.
Speaking to People about the adoption, she shared, “I felt like I wasn’t done having children, and I’ve always wanted to have a large family… And so after my divorce I felt like, ‘Oh well, I’m sure I’ll soon enough get remarried and have my family [grow]’, and that wasn’t in the cards at the time, so I decided to expand my family on my own.” The actress adds that she is proud of her daughters Sam and Lola for embracing their baby sister.
In a separate interview with People, Richards shared that her daughter has a chromosomal disorder that has “caused a lot of developmental delays.”
She says, “She wasn’t able to sit up on her own for a very long time, and she didn’t start walking until she was 2, and that was with physical therapy… She can only say a handful of words… And there are times when she feels like her age in understanding, and then other times where it feels she’s emotionally 3 years old. It’s been challenging. I’m learning every day because they don’t really have a road map for her particular case.”
5. She Grew up in a Family of Four
Richards grew up in a close family of four.
Speaking about her childhood with Women On the Fence, she says, “I grew up in a small town outside of Chicago. I grew up very differently than how my girls are growing up today. My mom was a stay at home mother. We were actually a Nielsen family – we were your all around typical American family. Family of 4. Very close. My father, my sister and I were part of a father-daughter group called The Drifters. My mom had dinner on the table every night at 6 o’clock. Everything was about family growing up.”
Richards says she knew from a young age that she wanted to act. After her father got tired of the cold Illinois winters, the family moved to California, which is when Denise got involved in modeling.