We heard just about a month ago that Denise Richards adopted an American baby girl she named Eloise, after her late mom. Richards is a single mom to two daughters from her turbulent marriage to Charlie Sheen: Sam, 7, and Lola, 6, and now she adds a third daughter to her family. Richards says that her ex Sheen is “very supportive” and has met Eloise. Here’s part of an interview Denise gave US Weekly to premiere little Eloise. She calls her an “cuddle bug,” and a “beautiful little baby and little soul.” It’s all very sweet. You can see her on the cover of the issue in the right hand corner (above).
How are you adjusting to having another newborn?
It’s been incredible. She’s brought so much joy, and I love her to pieces. Out of respect for the birth family, the details of the adoption are going to remain private, but I’ve been with her since the day she was born.What’s her personality?
She is a cuddle bug. She loves being hugged and held. She’s such a beautiful little baby and little soul.Describe Eloise’s first few days at home
The girls picked out an outfit they wanted her to wear when they met her, a pink onesie. I got home with Eloise in the middle of the night and woke up Sam and Lola early in the morning. They stayed home from camp that day. They were so excited to bond with their sister! Now they help me feed her. And they sleep through her waking up in the middle of the night. I don’t know how they do it!How did you tell Sam and Lola about adoption?
I was honest and up-front with them. I told them it was something private for only our family to know about, and one day a baby will arrive.How does Charlie feel about the adoption?
We talk every day. He’s met her. He knows how much I love, love kids, so he was very supportive.Why did you adopt?
I always wanted more children, and I had to make a decision: Do I wait for the right partner, or do I keep moving forward? I decided to do this on my own.How was the process?
Some people think if a celebrity wants a baby, they get one the next day. The adoption took two years, and there were times I felt discouraged, times when I got close to adopting a baby and it fell through. But I knew the right baby would find us.Will you have a shower?
With Sam and Lola, I had showers before they were born. Now I’m having a shower and everyone will get a chance to meet her there, which is very sweet.Do you want more kids?
I love my girls. But I think I’ll have another one when I meet the right partner.
[From US Weekly, print edition, August 1, 2011]
It all sounds very sweet and like Denise is a doting mom who just wanted another baby, but then I saw that she’s promoting a memoir which is out tomorrow, July 26th, called The Real Girl Next Door. The timing of the adoption is pretty convenient for publicity purposes, although she couldn’t have planned that since the process took two years. Now that Charlie’s support money is drying out she’s got to hustle a little and maybe she waited to release the book until the adoption went through. I don’t doubt she’s a devoted mom and she did a wonderful thing for that little girl.
Denise had a baby shower for Eloise over the weekend that was attended by Entertainment Tonight’s Nancy O’Dell and some other minor celebrities like Tori Spelling, Scary Spice Mel B, Ross the Intern, Lisa Rinna and Ali Landry. You can see photos here. Denise may talk to Charlie every day, but he was smart enough to stay away from the event, or Denise kept him away. He probably had some new porn stars to attend to.
Photos are from outside Denise’s baby shower on 7-23-11. Her dad Irv is shown holding the baby seat. Credit: Fame
I know a lot of people do not like her, but I am blown away by how much prettier she gets every year. These pictures of her are wonderful.
I totally concur!! she is gorgeous and gets prettier as the time goes… I am just amazed!
Why in God’s name would you expose that poor baby to the mess that is Charlie Sheen?!
She seems very genuine about the adoption, so I don’t buy the whole ‘coincidental autobiography’. I think it is just that – coincidence. If she was mentioning the book in interviews, it would be very different, but all she’s doing is talking about her family. I like her.
Hate to rain on the parade, but I don’t think she’s lived long enough or done anything significant to warrent an autobiography. And I wonder how much truth there is to the persistant rumor of a sketchy past.
Crazy face is back!
/hands out Percocet-tinis!
I have always felt sad for her father. She must be co-dependent on him, or he really likes being famous by-proxy. Either way, she needs to charge up her twitter and get back to making messy statements for laughter. I want to know how she “really feels” about JLO taking HER cover.
She hosted her own baby shower? Is this some new trend?
denise is a bad actress but she looks great & seems like a nice enough person. plus, i am a huge fan of adoption so good for her. she has cute girls.
oh, I love Irv… such a cool and fun dad. Denise is so beautiful and her girls are growing fast. I can see Charlie in them.
Yeah, I’ve got absolutely nothing snarky to say about Denise anymore. It seems crystal clear to me that she thought long and hard about her family plans before she made the decision to adopt.
Yes, Charlie is unbalanced, disturbed and likely still hooked on the bad sh*t but he is Sam and Lola’s father. As long as he is alive, those girls have a right to a relationship with their father and kudos to Denise for busting her butt to forge some sort of relationship. I thought all kinds of bad things about her before but now that we all know she was telling the truth about Charlie, I think she’s doing the best she can to establish normalcy for her daughters. Congrats Denise!!
I like her she loves children and animals, that is a great quality that only genuine good persons have.
i agree-she gets pretty and more natural looking every year-relatively speaking.lol
and she seems happier now.
and she obv. loves children,and loves being a mother….you cannot fake that IMO.
And more power to her for being a single mom.
sure, she’s a celeb and sometimes famewhore for money, but she is still a single mom, at the end of the day. with an addict ex-husband to boot.
She also doesn’t have oodles of money and a never ending supply for staff/nannies etc.
Not like some A listers or wives of A listers….
So yea, I cannot say anything about her in the negative these days.
Wish her family well.
I like her and lil Sam is giving me a Brittany Gastenau vibe…(shudders)
Something about Denise has always screamed desperate to me. How she wanted Charlie to donate sperm to her (when he was married to Brooke) so she could have another baby then she was pouncing on taking his twins when Brooke & him in rehab and now, at her age and already having had 2 babies, she HAD to have another baby? We all love babies but there are so many older children needing homes.
I wish she would have considered a child already born who needed a home vs paying someone to have a baby for her.
I’m with everyone who agrees it’s hard to snark on Denise. I watched her reality show in passing, and she’s harmless — a little ditzy and out of touch with reality, but she seems sweet. I think it’s commendable that she’s managed to give her kids stability and normalcy (for celebrities, anyway) while making sure their very unstable father is still part of their lives.
And I think it’s nice that her dad lives with her, and helps her out. I’m sure her kids appreciate that they get to spend so much time with their grandfather, not a random babysitter.
Oh, come on, let’s not nitpick how old the child she adopted is. She is doing a beautiful thing for her, the child, and her family. She shouldn’t be criticized for that at all!
This story is cute and look! Her girls look happy in that photo! They must have waited for this baby with so much anticipation. Two years to a kid is an eternity to wait!
I wasn’t a big fan of Denise’s until the Charlie Sheen fallout – she was very classy about that. She could have come out and been all, I told you so, but she really didn’t. Golden opportunity when she did the Oprah show to have been vindictive and smeared him but she kept it clean. Ever since then, I’ve liked her a lot more – she’s definitely a hands-on, loving, protective mom. Congrats to her on expanding her family!
@Atticus — agreed and ditto.
I like Denise…I think she is a class act. She could have ran Charlie Sheen through the wringer on several occasions but she took the high road for the sake of her children. And giving a home to a child who might not have one otherwise is a very loving act.
I watched her show. She loves animals, but she doesn’t believe in cleaning up after them. Her house and yard are covered in shit. How nuts is Charlie Sheen that he makes DR look grounded and normal.
She is really a feminine version of her father…remarkable resemblance, even the eyebrows
She is an awesome Mom to her daughters. Just give her your blessings and let her give Love to a beautiful baby that deserves it.