Denise Richards Says Her Divorce Has Been ‘Very Daunting’
Earlier this month, Denise Richards was granted a five-year restraining order against her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, according to court records obtained by The Cut. The order comes amid their contentious divorce, which Phypers filed for in July shortly before Richards publicly accused him of physical abuse (allegations he has denied).
On Sunday, Richards made an appearance at BravoCon, where — in her first public comments since the order was granted — she said she’s been “good.” “It’s a process. I have such a great support system,” Richards said, thanking fans for their support, per People. Later on in the panel, Richards alluded to her tumultuous and highly publicized divorce, saying “being in the tabloids” has been “very daunting.” “When you first have to deal with it, it’s very hard … It’s different because on the reality shows, our personal life is out there,” she said. “On reality, you can’t pretend it’s not happening.”
Richards accused Phypers of abuse in July, less than two weeks after he filed for divorce. She was initially granted a temporary restraining order after alleging Phypers had repeatedly physically abused her throughout their six-year marriage. In court filings obtained by The Cut, Richards said Phypers would “frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, [and] aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack.” She said she suffered “at least three concussions” due to his alleged abuse and included a photo of herself with a black eye.
Richards also claimed that Phypers had threatened to kill her. His alleged abuse apparently left her in fear for her life, she wrote, saying Phypers would “hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me.” According to filings, Phypers allegedly told Richards he owns “at least eight unregistered guns.” Richards said she thought about reporting Phypers to the police but was too scared to go through with it, noting “he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me” if she did so.
Phypers has repeatedly denied Richards allegations against him and told TMZ in July that Richards is “creating a story to save her image.” During a court appearance in October, he called her claims all “made up.” “I never physically harmed Denise Richards … I never threatened to harm her … I did not threaten to kill anybody,” he said at the hearing, per People.
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