Denise Richards made her return to BravoCon with a heartfelt message for fans. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 54, participated in the Bravo2Bravo panel on Sunday, Nov. 16, alongside fellow Bravo personalities Brittany Cartwright, Luann de Lesseps, and Kim Zolciak.
Her appearance comes in the midst of her ongoing divorce from ex-husband Aaron Phypers, to whom she was married for six years before he filed for divorce in July. Richards shared that she was feeling “good” following the recent news that she was granted a five-year restraining order against Phypers.
“It’s a process. I have such a great support system,” Richards said. “Thank you so much.” Later during the panel, Richards spoke candidly about life in the public eye, calling “being in the tabloids” a “very daunting” experience.
“When you first have to deal with it, it’s very hard… it’s different because on the reality shows, our personal life is out there,” Richards explained. “On reality, you can’t pretend it’s not happening.”
Richards also appeared at another BravoCon panel a day earlier on the Live Stage with Jeff Lewis and Kate Chastain. When asked about returning to RHOBH as a full-time cast member, after holding that role for seasons 9 and 10, Richards said, “We’re talking about things.”
Back in August, Richards was seen filming for RHOBH while dining with Erika Jayne and Sutton Stracke. The season 15 trailer revealed that the mother of three will appear in at least one episode, where she addresses her divorce.
Following the sighting, a source close to production told that Richards “still has a lot of connections within the cast of RHOBH even though she’s no longer a Housewife.”
“She’s tight with Sutton, has maintained a good relationship with Kyle [Richards] and even mended fences with Erika recently. So it made sense for her to come and film again, and share her side of the story since the news has been a topic of conversation off-camera among this friendship circle,” the insider shared.
The source added that Richards has been “leaning on friends who understand more than anyone the pain of divorce” during this “difficult time.” They said her struggles have brought the group closer and that fans would likely love to see her more often.
Richards and Phypers have appeared in court several times as the divorce continues. On Nov. 7, Richards secured a restraining order after alleging he was physically abusive throughout their relationship.
On Oct. 8, Phypers, 53, testified that he has “never physically harmed” the Baywatch star and “never threatened to harm her,” denying her allegations, which he previously told were “harmful and baseless.”
The day before, Richards testified that Phypers caused “at least three concussions” during their time together, including one incident that led to the black eye documented in her July filing for a temporary restraining order.
In a video shared on her Instagram in August, Richards described the situation as a “very, very, very difficult time,” expressing gratitude to fans for their support and “kind, thoughtful, encouraging messages.” She also noted that she hopes to share more about the divorce “one day … when the timing is right.”