Denise Richards couldn’t stay silent any longer.
The actress and reality TV star said Thursday in a video posted to social media that she wanted to check in with her fans to see how their summer had been.
“Mine’s been wonderful,” she said sarcastically, before pausing. “It’s actually been sh—y. But I’m gonna pretend like it’s all good. I’ve actually been posting on Instagram like nothing’s going on in my life, and I can’t do that anymore, because there’s something obviously going on.”
Aaron Phypers, Richards’ husband since 2018, who appeared alongside her on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, legally filed to end their union in July. He was in the process of adopting her daughter, Eloise, who Richards initially adopted on her own.
While even a smooth divorce can be painful, the Richards-Phypers split has been contentious, with her accusing him of domestic violence and taking out a restraining order. Phypers denied her accusations and alleged that Richards failed to file adoption papers that he had signed.
In her clip, Richards thanked her supporters several times, once even noting that “it makes me want to cry” that they’re helping her through it.
“Many of you have been so kind and so supportive of me that — I see all of your messages — but I can’t comment, because it would be taken out and put in the press,” Richards said. “But I just wanted to, in all seriousness, say that this has been a very, very, very difficult time.”
She added that “it’s so hard to go through a divorce” and pointed out that she had done it before.
The Wild Things actress was married to Charlie Sheen, with whom she has two adult daughters, Sami and Lola, from 2002 to 2006.
“I never thought I’d get divorced again,” Richards said. “This is why I always say, ‘Never say never.'”
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Later in the video, she said there are things about the divorce that are “difficult to talk about,” but promised to do so one day.
“When the time is right,” Richards said. “I just want to process everything and get through this.”
Richards touched on some recent reconstructive surgery she had briefly, but said that to discuss it further would “look inappropriate” and “seem insensitive to what I’m dealing with.”
But she said she still wants to live and share her life, and she planned to do so.