Denise Richards Breaks Her Silence on Aaron Phypers Divorce

Denise Richards has broken her silence more than a month after estranged husband Aaron Phypers filed for divorce.

Richards, 54, took to Instagram on Thursday to admit she’s had a “s—ty” summer following her split from Phypers, 52, at the start of July.

“I was just checking in to see how your summer’s been going,” she began the candid video. “Mine’s been wonderful. It’s actually been s—ty, but I’m going to pretend like it’s all good. I’ve actually been posting on Instagram like nothing is going on in my life, and I can’t do that anymore because there’s something obviously going on.”

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The Wild Things star continued on to thank her fans for their support during the difficult time in her life, saying, “I just wanted to, in all seriousness, say that this has been a … very, very, very difficult time. It’s so hard to go through a divorce.”

“Many of you have gone through that. This isn’t my first one – this is my second one,” she continued, referencing her 2006 divorce from Charlie Sheen. “I never thought I’d get divorced again. This is why I always say never say never.”

Noting that there are circumstances surrounding her split from Phypers that are “difficult to talk about,” Richards promised to open up more one day, “when the timing is right,” and she’s had time to “process everything and get through this.”

Phypers and Richards, who wed in 2018, have been embroiled in a legal battle since he filed for divorce last month. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum accused Phypers of physical abuse in a temporary restraining order filing submitted days after the divorce papers were filed. Phypers has denied the allegations of abuse.

Richards was granted the restraining order and has since accused her ex of violating the order. Meanwhile, Phypers has accused Richards of cheating on him with another man and of being addicted to Vidocin, as per Page Six.

Most recently, Richards has requested the court order Phypers and his family to vacate her Calabasas home, where they have been living, so that she can retrieve her dogs and belongings, according to a filing obtained by PEOPLE.

The outlet also obtained a new court filing from Phypers, in which he claimed Wednesday that Richards had him sign adoption papers for her 14-year-old daughter Eloise but “failed to file them,” which has left him legally without his “daughter by bond of over nine years,” despite “raising her as his own.”

“This has caused immeasurable harm and demonstrates the imbalance [Denise] maintains in this matter,” he said in the filing.