Denise Richards: Charlie Sheen never hit me, but he did push & shove

denise

I saw the ads for today’s Oprah already, and it looks like a really good episode (video below). Oprah got an interview with Denise Richards, and Denise is telling all about her marriage to Charlie Sheen. People Magazine has a preview of the episode, and am I weird for admitting that I can’t wait? Oprah! Denise! It’s happening. A few days after Charlie’s Christmas arrest (for abusing current wife Brooke Mueller), Denise tweeted “One day I’ll spill my guts.” Well, that day is today! Denise seems like she’s getting very, very specific about the kinds of stuff Charlie did to her when they were married:

When Charlie Sheen was arrested for allegedly threatening wife Brooke Mueller, his ex-wife Denise Richards decided not to tell their daughters that the only way Dad could wish them a Merry Christmas was by calling collect from jail.

Richards, appearing Tuesday on The Oprah Winfrey Show, said she didn’t want Sam, 5, and Lola, 4, happily playing with their new American Girl dolls, to know that Sheen was spending the holiday in an Aspen, Colo., jail.

But eventually, “I did have to tell them about their dad,” Richards says, after a kindergarten pal told Sam she’d heard Sheen was in jail and wondered if he was still there.

When Sheen did call Richards on Christmas Day, all he told her was that he and Mueller had been in a fight and that she’d called police. “It’s sad,” Richards says of Sheen and Mueller’s situation. “Perhaps people can understand what I went through.”

Asked if Sheen had been abusive during their own marriage, Richards says that there were “a lot of verbal arguments that got heated that scared me” – but that he never hit her. He did, however, push and shove her, which eventually led Richards to seek protection from him, she says.

“I was in a very dark place,” she tells Winfrey. “Especially when I filed the restraining order, I was humiliated. I was scared. I was embarrassed.”

Now, however, through their work with a mediator, “Charlie and I are in a great place,” she says. So much so that the couple shared an early New Year’s Eve dinner together, along with Richards’s father. Plus, she says she trusts her ex with their daughters.

As for another ex, Richards tries to clear up misconceptions about her relationship with Richie Sambora. She tells Winfrey that when the pair got together, “We were both single,” and that she and Heather Locklear, whom Sambora was divorcing, were no longer friends. “If we were friends, I never would have crossed that line with Richie,” she says.

As for what gets her through the rough spots these days, she says she looks to her family: “My daughters are my pillars of strength.”

[From People]

Now, I know many people don’t like Denise, and maybe you don’t believe all of the stuff she said in the wake of her split with Charlie, but I do like her, and I think history has vindicated her to a certain extent. And I believe her too – then and now, although I think she might have been lying a few times right after her divorce. I think Charlie did abuse her, I think he threatened her, and I think she was afraid, humiliated, and felt attacked on all sides. I’m glad that Oprah got the interview, and I’m really looking forward to hearing what Denise has to say!

Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards

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25 Responses to “Denise Richards: Charlie Sheen never hit me, but he did push & shove”

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  1. lucy2 says:

    I can’t feel too sorry for Denise. After all, she married Charlie Sheen. You have to know what you’re getting yourself into with that one. Plus she capitalized on all the divorce publicity with her own show, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of morals and values there.
    I do feel really sorry for those kids though. As if their home life wasn’t screwy enough, it’s all public, to the point where kindergarten classmates know what’s going on. Really sad, and I hope those girls, and Charlie’s other kids, turn out OK.

  2. Just a Poster says:

    Kaiser I agree with you. And now after the situation with Brooke, IMO it gives what Denise has been saying that much more credit.

  3. Julie Newmar says:

    I love her spin on the Richie Sambora thing.

  4. LindyLou says:

    Given Charlie’s history, I believe Denise. Media portrays her as a vapid, man-stealing bimbo for the most part and there may be some elements of truth to that. But from personal experience, surviving an abusive spouse requires a huge amount of inner strength and to come out on the other side a better person says a lot (to me). I admire the fact that she didn’t write a book or conduct endless “poor me” interviews after the fact (at least that I’m aware of – correct me if I’m wrong) I wish her well and I too look forward to Oprah’s interview.

  5. Sigh. says:

    Sooooo —
    Will she and he be “in a great place” after this interview? His case has not been settled/cleared…

    I’ve never thought she was lying about CERTAIN things pertaining to Sheen, but she wasn’t coming off too well herself (a little maniacal). You can chalk that up to a necessary evil in divorcing, but if she had backed off a bit, she wouldn’t have damaged her own credibility while trying to do the same to his. Which is a momentous task considering he really is a “Hollywood Favorite Son (of an actor and of the industry),” and she is NOT known for her acting talent.

    As far as the “Sambora Thing” — it still comes off as “sketchy,” even if true. That’s straight from “Man Stealer 101”: it was dead when I got there.

  6. guest says:

    thought i was the only one who liked her! enjoyed her reality show too.

  7. EMV says:

    She seems sketchy to me. I know Charlie Sheen is no golden boy, but I think she is loony. It’s like one minute no one is looking at her and she says to herself….oh more dirty laundry to tell….YEAH! Attention Whore.

  8. YT says:

    Charlie was supposedly off of drugs and stuff when he married Denise, but he went back to his old ways after the marriage.

    It must have been a scary time for her, especially with one child and another on the way.

    Charlie, his people, and his dad really went after Denise, though his interview at the time were so obviously packed with lies.

  9. dee says:

    I cant stand Denise. I think she’s full of sh*t as far as the Ritchie Sambora thing. I saw her on TV talking about how she stole her best friend’s husband, and those were the words out of her mouth.

  10. Sumodo says:

    Crazy Charlie attracts crazy chicks. Magnet, meet steel.

  11. Chicken Tetrazzini says:

    I just don’t see why she would have gotten herself involved with Charlie, whether he was “reformed” or not. Leopards don’t change their spots, you know. He is sleazy and does not respect women AT ALL, you just have to look at his history with prostitutes to see that. I know she loves her kids, and they are adorable, but I question the wisdom of reproducing with such a questionable man. I don’t know what she saw in him, maybe she thought she could get more fame that way? I just cannot see any woman truly loving him, because he apparently cannot love anyone other than himself. I wish her and her children well, but I am not a fan of hers. I do sympathize with what happened to her though, nobody deserves to be in an abusive relationship, no matter who they are or what their motives were for pursuing that relationship.

  12. TG says:

    I know I am becoming a little preachy today but I can’t stand women who choose to have not one but 2 kids with a man they claim is abusive, etc. and then go on and on about how they are the victim. If they were really thinking of their child they wouldn’t have had 2 kids with a bad father let alone 1. That being said, I kind of liked her reality show, but what is it with celebrities letting their animals poop and pee all over their house. That is so gross, I would never enter a home where that goes on and I would think you could speak to a judge about that kind of thing.

  13. Chicken Tetrazzini says:

    Oh, and I just don’t believe her about Richie Sambora. Even if he WAS already broken up with Heather, Denise should have had enough respect to not get involved with a former friend’s soon to be ex. It just shouldn’t be done. It is inconsiderate and seems really selfish to me. Besides, he doesn’t seem like any big prize to me….

  14. wow says:

    Lol. Please, Denise is LOVING this. And isn’t a forceful “push” still abuse?

    If she really was mature, she wouldn’t be trying to capitalize on their drama. If things truly went down with her and Charlie the way she described, then why not just be glad she got out of that marriage and that he is no longer her problem? His visitation with their kids is supervised, so her “interview” seems more like she’s trying to rub it in to Brooke. At least that’s how it comes across to me.

  15. Kathie says:

    It wont be long till her kids can google, does she really want everything she has said and continues to say about their dad available to them? I am a big believer in “rising above” situations after you remove yourself from them. It has never failed to work for me. Being discreet about your personal s**t storm garners you attention and something even more valuable, respect. It also re-enforces self discipline something I think we could all put to good use.

  16. i love denise richards says:

    #
    TG
    TG:
    January 26th, 2010 at 3:23 pm

    I know I am becoming a little preachy today but I can’t stand women who choose to have not one but 2 kids with a man they claim is abusive, etc. and then go on and on about how they are the victim. If they were really thinking of their child they wouldn’t have had 2 kids with a bad father let alone 1.

    sometimes women dont like to have two babay daddy

  17. Peneloper says:

    Has anyone else noticed her crying eyes? Not so much in these pics, but her eyes have a hurt, crying look, like she’s about to well up, even when her mouth is smiling. Her show changed my mind about her — I like her now — but that mismatch has always been jarring to me.

  18. TG says:

    Ha-ha. Good one about the 2 baby daddies and that is another topic in itself but I was trying to get at is don’t have even one child with someone who isn’t going to be a good father and good patner. Me thinks she and other women like her have dollar signs in their eyes when they choose to breed rather than their future children in mind and good sense.

  19. Taya says:

    Watched Oprah. Denise DID NOT spill her guts as she was proclaiming. Nothing was new that she said and she barely answered any questions in detail. Just very, very vague answers as usual. What a waste of 20 minutes that I will never get back. What a publicity whore. Get over it Denise, it’s been 5 years.

  20. Dhavy says:

    She says her and Heather were no longer friends whe she dated Sambora….gee I wonder why. You just don’t stop being and friends and then date their spouse. I wonder what Heather would say to that

    He’s not an angel but she’s not that convincing

  21. ogechi says:

    “I was in a very dark place,” she tells Winfrey. “Especially when I filed the restraining order, I was humiliated. I was scared. I was embarrassed.”

    ”Now, I know many people don’t like Denise, and maybe you don’t believe all of the stuff she said in the wake of her split with Charlie, but I do like her, and I think history has vindicated her to a certain extent. And I believe her too – then and now, although I think she might have been lying a few times right after her divorce. I think Charlie did abuse her, I think he threatened her, and I think she was afraid, humiliated, and felt attacked on all sides. I’m glad that Oprah got the interview, and I’m really looking forward to hearing what Denise has to say!”

    All i did after reading this was to cry and feel pains for her and other women who suffer abuse. I love Denise especially the rltnship she has with her family and kids. It is well with her.

  22. Phowie says:

    ‘She trusts her ex with her daughters’!!If this man has pushed, shoved, choked, hit, slapped, abused and otherwise physically and verbally intimidated his ex-wife, his current wife and his past exes (which I seem to remember he has) then you can guarantee at one point he will do the same to his daughters. His behavior toward women is reprehensible and misogynistic and he will not change.

  23. snapdragon says:

    where did charlie sheen learn to treat women this way? i don’ t remember martin sheen or emilio estevez being slapped with restraining orders. maybe it’s the drugs. in any case, i can’t figure out why any woman would willingly get into a relationship with someone who is known for abusing women – does he really have that much money?

  24. zeke says:

    “I know I am becoming a little preachy today but I can’t stand women who choose to have not one but 2 kids with a man they claim is abusive, etc. and then go on and on about how they are the victim.”

    Actually a very under-reported phenomenon is the way abusers use pregnancy and children to exert control. Whether or not that applies here, I think your empathy needs adjustment. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/domestic-abuse-abusive-men-sabotage-birth-control/story?id=9639340

  25. colo colo says:

    Pappis cisse brought in,even though he is at ACN…letting two strikers to be away at the same time….i smell something from st.james park….Come on..baaaaaaaa…!!!