Denise Richards Describes ‘Painful’ Year Amid Divorce From Aaron Phypers
Denise Richards is looking forward to a new start in 2026 after a tough year.
Post via her Instagram on Thursday, January 1st Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 54, described 2025 as “one of the most painful years I have lived.”
“When I look back at all the photos and videos I have from 2025, I feel like I’m looking at two different people and living two different lives. When I saw many of your posts, many of you felt the same way. I will never forget this year, one of the most painful years I’ve experienced,” Richards reflected.
She continued, “A year of letting go, with truths coming to light. As painful as it is, I am so grateful for the clarity. I have shed many tears and felt pain and betrayal that I never knew existed.”
The Wild things star then thanked her family, friends and doctors for helping her get through the year in which she faced both personal and physical challenges.
Richards is currently in the middle of a tumultuous divorce from his estranged husband Aaron Phypers, 53.
If We weekly previously reported, Phypers filed for divorce on July 7, 2025 after six years of marriage. Richards filed a restraining order days later. She accused Phypers of being abusive during their relationship, which he adamantly denied.
The court granted Richards a permanent restraining order against Phypers on November 7, 2025. Phypers was arrested in court on October 17, 2025 after testifying as part of the restraining order. Prosecutors charged Phypers with two felony counts of injuring a spouse and two misdemeanor counts of dissuading a witness with violence or threats. Phypers faces years in prison if convicted.
Denise Richards.
(Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images)Before her relationship with Phypers, Richards was married to an actor Charlie Sheen60, from 2002 to 2006. They share two daughters: Sam21 and Lola, 20. (Richards later adopted daughter Eloise in 2011.)
In 2025, Richards also suffered a physical setback when she ruptured her breast implants during a particularly grueling task while competing on Season 3 of S.Special Forces: The World’s Toughest Test.
‘I also jumped off a bridge, and then I tore my bridge [breast] implants – from that thing,” Richards explained during SiriusXM’s “Jeff Lewis Live” on Jan. 3, 2025, while discussing the physical challenges she faced on the show.
Months before Aaron Phypers filed for divorce, Denise Richards hinted that a divorce was not on the cards for her. “After the divorce I went through with their dad… It’s not fun. It’s really horrible,” Richards, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly in an interview with daughters Sami and Lola in February. (Richards shares […]
Richards also shared her gratitude for her fans in her reflective Instagram post and expressed her desire to look ahead to the future.
“Going to Comic Con and Bravocon this year was so humbling for me. Meeting all of you [fans] and hearing how much you have supported me throughout my career. I am so grateful to all of you,” Richards wrote.
She added: “I’ve had many blessedly happy moments in 2025 and especially in the last few months I’m finally starting to feel like myself again, but better. I’m looking forward to the year of the Horse. I feel very lucky that it starts on my birthday✨Happy New Year to all of you and a happy new you to those of you who actually experienced it in 2025. Happy 2026!”
