Denise Richards’ time as a Bond Girl didn’t exactly prepare her for the turbulent path she would face in her pursuit of love.
After appearing in a series of television shows in the early 1990s, Richards struck gold with a role in the cult-favorite film Starship Troopers, which was soon followed by her unforgettable performance as Kelly Van Ryan in the erotic thriller Wild Things.
While Richards became one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stars, her personal life often made headlines as well. Richards, 54, endured a stormy three-year marriage with Charlie Sheen and more recently spent hours in court recounting the alleged abuse she experienced from her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers.
Richards rocketed to fame as a Bond Girl, and her high-profile relationships, particularly with ex-husband Charlie Sheen, kept her in the spotlight. (Tommy Garcia via Getty Images)
Her portrayal of nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones in the 1999 James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough received both praise and criticism but solidified her position as a bona fide movie star.
It was during a guest appearance on Spin City in 2001 that Richards met Charlie Sheen. She admitted she “made the first move kissing him” and told People magazine that by their second date, she “knew that this is the one, but I wouldn’t tell him that.”
“I didn’t want to scare him away by saying, ‘You’re my future husband!’ and have him run for the hills,” Richards said.
The pair married in 2002 and welcomed daughter Sami in 2004. Richards filed for divorce while six months pregnant with their second daughter, Lola. Though the couple briefly attempted to reconcile after her birth, they ultimately chose to go their separate ways.
“He had been sober for about four years and very committed to his sobriety,” Richards said on an episode of her reality show, Denise Richards & Her Wild Things.
“I never thought someone that committed could fall off and fall back into that because I, at the time, hadn’t really been around it.”
Two years after filing for divorce, Richards and Sheen were legally allowed to marry other people, even though their divorce was not yet finalized.
Richards admitted she struggled with guilt for years, feeling she had broken up the family, but she recognized the necessity of separating from Sheen.
“I said to myself, ‘Would I want my daughters married to this man?’” Richards told Caroline Stanbury in 2022 on the Divorced Not Dead podcast. “No offense to him, but I think he would take that and understand what I’m saying, and that’s when I was like, ‘Well, why am I accepting this?'”
The former couple eventually engaged in a contentious custody battle over their daughters.
By 2016, Richards had sued Sheen for $1.2 million, claiming he failed to provide financial support for their daughters. She alleged that Sheen had evicted her from a home he had provided for her and their children.
In 2021, a court ruled Sheen would pay Richards “zero dollars per month” in child support, retroactive to Aug. 1, 2018, People reported.
Richards shared with Stanbury that she had tried to shield her children from Sheen’s public struggles with substance abuse.
“I did shelter them a lot, and then they started to get to an age where ‘so and so said this,’ and I lied my a– off and covered for him,” she said. “Now, as they’re starting to get older, they’re more aware of more things. That’s why I say I don’t know if I did them a disservice when they were younger.”
After her relationship with Sheen ended, Richards began dating Canadian actor Aaron Phypers in 2017, meeting him at his Malibu healing center.
Richards explained that Phypers “works with a lot of different people with a lot of different things,” telling the Daily Dish in 2019. “We would start talking about different things because we knew a lot of the same people and same interests.”
Following his six-month divorce from Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan, Phypers proposed to Richards in 2018. They married on Sept. 8, just two days after announcing their engagement.
“[Aaron] really wanted to marry on September 8 because eight means infinity. We called wedding planner Mindy Weiss, and she did it in less than 48 hours, and it was beautiful,” Richards told at the time.
Phypers was in the process of adopting Richards’ daughter Eloise, whom Richards had adopted in 2011, though it’s unclear if the adoption was finalized. Phypers filed for divorce on July 7, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking spousal support from the Real Housewives star.
Richards was initially granted a temporary restraining order against Phypers in July, citing allegations of physical and emotional abuse throughout their marriage, including a violent incident around the time he filed for divorce.
The Drop Dead Gorgeous actress testified last week that Phypers tried to tarnish her reputation after their split and even leaked nude photos of her.
“It’s been difficult for my daughters, especially with the naked photos,” Richards told the judge during proceedings. “I’m so embarrassed and shameful as a mom. She couldn’t go to church.”