Here's Why Denise Richards Invited Ex-Husband Charlie Sheen to Her Wedding
Denise Richards‘ relationship with ex-husband Charlie Sheen is so strong, she even wanted him to be a guest at her summer wedding to new husband Aaron Phypers.
The 48-year-old actress — who shares daughters Sam, 14, and Lola, 13, with Sheen — married Phypers on Sept. 8, 2018 in an intimate outdoor ceremony held on a private Malibu estate overlooking the ocean. And though only a few close friends and family were in attendance, Richards made sure to extend an invite to Sheen.
“No matter what’s gone down with Charlie and I, I invite Charlie to anything having to do with the kids and I,” Richards told audiences on Tuesday’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which featured footage of the Wild Things star’s special day.
“Even if he did bring a prostitute as his date, I wouldn’t care,” she joked. “It’s just, it is what it is.”
Richards’ revelation was shocking, considering she and Sheen, 53, had one of the most public divorces in Hollywood history.
The two first met while shooting the movie Good Advice in 2000, but it wasn’t until Richards guest-starred on Sheen’s former sitcom Spin City in the fall of 2001 that a romance began to blossom.
They married in June 2002. But by March 2005, it was over, with Richards filing for divorce while he was in the midst of a drug and alcohol relapse (the actor was famously going on bizarre rants about tiger’s blood and “winning” at the time).
When Richards left Sheen, she was six months pregnant with Lola. She’d go on to adopt daughter Eloise, 7, as a single mom in 2011.
Eventually through the years, she and Sheen — who is now sober — learned to build trust again. The two have found a way to co-parent since, even if they don’t often agree on certain topics.
Through it all, Richards has maintained a positive attitude.
“I was never bitter about my divorce,” Richards recalled to PEOPLE in February. “Going through everything, it changed me. But I love life and I’m a glass-half-full kind of person. And I did my best to rise above it.”
“Times were extremely negative and I would have to tell myself, this too shall pass,” she said.
And she’s ultimately supportive of him having a relationship with their daughters.
“Whatever is going on with a couple, the children should not be privy to it,” Richards said. “Obviously, there are times when emotions might flare up. But we’re human beings and we make mistakes. I know that when someone is struggling with addiction, sometimes choices are made that are not in the best judgment, and I have empathy for that. I want Charlie to be the best person and father he can be.”
Now, Richards is happily married to Phypers, a wellness practitioner whom she met in 2017 (Phypers finalized his divorce from Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan in August, two years after they separated following just six months of marriage).
Their courtship even had Sheen wishing them all the happiness.
Looking back on it all, Richards told PEOPLE she’s grateful for the lessons she’s learned in life and love.
“We have an amazing relationship,” Richards said of Phypers. “We love each other for who we are and we don’t judge each other. And for him to embrace a single woman with [three] daughters and an ex-husband with a wonderfully colorful past, it’s a lot. That made me fall in love with him even more.”
“[Aaron] is amazing with the girls,” she added. “He’s such a great stepdad, and they’re close to him.”
A post shared by Denise Richards (@deniserichards) on Mar 26, 2019 at 7:19am PDT
A post shared by Denise Richards (@deniserichards) on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:39pm PDT
Fans got to see Richards and Phypers’ nuptials, which they famously planned in two days, on Tuesday’s RHOBH.
Costars Lisa Vanderpump, Erika Girardi, Lisa Rinna, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, Dorit Kemsley and Camille Grammer were all in attendance — and only complained slightly when Richards showed up over an hour late.
Richards was worth waiting for. The former Bond girl looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle in a custom lace romper.
RELATED: Designer Mark Zunino Defends Denise Richards’ Short Wedding Dress After It Gets ‘Split Opinions’
The dress designer Mark Zunino had only 24 hours to work on the gown, Richards told PEOPLE.
“I didn’t want to do a traditional wedding dress,” Richards said. “I wore a traditional dress for my first wedding, so I wanted something different this time.”
She continued: “My dress was actually a romper, which was perfect since we left the reception on Aaron’s motorcycle. I didn’t take the tulle skirt off until I got on his bike. I loved the skirt so much I wore it the entire evening.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays (9 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
