LOS ANGELES – Denise Richards said her turbulent marriage to ex Charlie Sheen was easier to navigate than her life with estranged husband Aaron Phypers.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, who was granted a temporary restraining order against Phypers on July 17, broke down in tears while testifying Monday and returned to the stand Tuesday to describe his alleged “manic” behavior during their relationship.
Weeks after filing for divorce from Richards, the 53-year-old allegedly leaked nude photos of the reality TV star.
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers faced off in court on Oct. 7.
During the proceedings, Richards played a video she had sent to Phypers, in which she called him a “narcissist” and recounted multiple instances of alleged physical abuse.
“You were the last person I thought would do that to me,” Richards said in the recording. “Things were bad with Charlie and me, but he never hit below the belt.”
She added, “I told my dad, I just don’t know why I believed you. I loved you and thought you were my soulmate. I never imagined we’d get divorced.”
Richards denied any infidelity on her part, but accused Phypers of cheating. “You can claim I cheated, but I didn’t. You did do stuff,” she said. “The fights were so bad, especially after your family moved in. I tried my hardest to keep things from getting that bad, but I just couldn’t do that s—show anymore.”
She also alleged repeated physical abuse, including a police report filed against her. “Each time was worse than the last. You were manic,” Richards said.
Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards were married for less than three years before she filed for divorce in 2006.
“You were the one person I thought I could always trust and who would protect me, and you were the exact opposite,” Richards said. “I think I’m struggling because I was married to someone I never truly knew.”
She accused Phypers of failing to support her in the final months of their marriage.
“The last six months, when you didn’t stand up for me, I thought, ‘OK.’ You filed, I didn’t. I told your mom, but they didn’t care. They’re still living in our home. Of course they are. You f—ing hurt my heart,” Richards said.
She added pointedly, “One day, you might look back and say, ‘Yeah, she was a Bond girl. I was married to her, and she supported my business and everything else.’ In your heart you know—or maybe you won’t. Maybe you’re too much of a narcissist.”
Denise Richards allegedly suffered a black eye following an altercation with Aaron Phypers.
“I don’t know you, maybe that’s why I’m struggling. Charlie—I knew him,” Richards said, referring to her 2005 divorce from Sheen after three years of marriage. “Every other ex—I knew. That’s what’s been really hard. I don’t even know who the f— you are.”
Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking spousal support from the “Real Housewives” star. Ten days later, a judge granted Richards’ request for a temporary restraining order.
In court documents filed on July 16, Richards accused Phypers of repeated physical abuse, including choking, slapping, head-slamming, and threats to her life, as well as hacking into her phone and laptop.
Phypers denied all allegations. In a statement to People, he said, “I want to address recent rumors and speculation regarding my relationship with my wife, Denise Richards. Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise—or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect.”
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers, who married in 2018, faced off in court after Phypers filed for divorce in July.
During Monday’s proceedings, Richards recounted multiple instances of alleged physical and emotional abuse, describing terrifying incidents that left her fearing for her life. At one point, she asked for a tissue and broke down in tears while recalling a particularly abusive event in May.
Richards testified that Phypers became “very volatile” with her at the Four Seasons hotel just hours after she had undergone multiple cosmetic procedures, including a facelift. She claimed he tried to search through her devices while she was sleeping and struck her face, damaging a drain in the process.
“That is when I really, really knew that our marriage was over because there’s been physical abuse, but it kept getting worse and worse,” Richards said. “The fact that he did that to me five hours after coming out of a seven-hour surgery… made me feel a lot of things. Scared and vulnerable. I couldn’t walk by myself.”
During Monday’s proceedings, Denise Richards described multiple instances of alleged physical and emotional abuse, recounting terrifying incidents that left the mom-of-three fearing for her life.
“And the person I looked to as my husband to protect me wasn’t anymore. That’s when I really, really knew there wasn’t going back. To do that to your wife coming out of surgery?” Richards said.
“I felt broken and defeated, so alone and vulnerable, because I had just had extensive surgery. Him knowing the body and wellness and working on people… and to do that to your wife?” she added.
Court documents filed on Sept. 29, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that Phypers’ attorneys named Richards’ ex Charlie Sheen and “RHOBH” alum Brandi Glanville as potential witnesses. They stated Sheen could testify about “Denise’s history of not being truthful and of drug and alcohol abuse.”
Richards and Sheen were married in 2002 and divorced in March 2005, shortly before she gave birth to their second daughter, Lola. Their first daughter, Sami, was born one year earlier.
