Denise Richards is breaking her silence about one of the most painful experiences of her life.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 53, opened up about the emotional toll after explicit photos of her were allegedly leaked by her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers. According to Denise, the scandal hasn’t just affected her personally — it’s also had a devastating impact on her three daughters: Sami and Lola Sheen, whom she shares with ex-husband Charlie Sheen, and her youngest, Eloise, whom Aaron adopted.
“It’s been difficult for my daughters, especially with the naked photos,” she told the judge during court proceedings on October 6, 2025, per Fox News. “I’m so embarrassed and shameful as a mom. [My daughter] couldn’t go to church.”
Her daughter Lola, who’s been active in her church since her baptism earlier this year, has reportedly found it particularly hard to deal with the public exposure.
The allegations against Aaron came to light in court documents filed on July 28. Denise accused her ex of violating a temporary restraining order by leaking her private photos and text messages to the media. She claimed he stole the content from her personal laptop and asked the court to order him to return her devices and stop sharing her private information.
Although the court granted Denise a restraining order, her request to get her laptop and other belongings back was denied. She’s since said recovering them is more important than ever.
The day after the order was issued, Aaron gave an interview in which he admitted to accessing her laptop and reading her messages. Her legal team quickly sent a warning, demanding that he stop sharing her personal content. But just days later, another article surfaced showing explicit images and messages Denise says were “stolen by Aaron.”
She described the leaked photos in detail, saying they included “a picture of me with my b**** completely exposed and another picture of my b******. Another picture in the article is a picture of my phone being held by Aaron’s hand with my private text messages.”
Denise added that Aaron allegedly told the outlet he found 107 “raunchy text messages” on her phone.
“I am in extreme distress and greatly disturbed since Aaron has been repeatedly disseminating private text messages stolen from my laptop after the TRO has been issued,” she said. “Aaron accessing my private information on my laptop and disseminating the information is not only abuse and a violation of the TRO, but the disseminating of nude photographs is a criminal act.”
Aaron filed for divorce on July 7 after six years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Court records show the couple separated on July 4.