Denise Richards had to tell her daughters, Sami (21) and Lola (19), that their father, Charlie Sheen, is HIV positive after he unexpectedly announced it on the Today show in 2015.
“It was everywhere,” Richards, 54, said on the Whine Down podcast with host Jana Kramer.
She recalled picking her daughters up early from school that day to prevent them from hearing the news from classmates.
Richards admitted she was upset with Sheen for not giving her a heads-up beforehand. “I wish he had warned me, like, ‘Hey, I’m doing this today,’” she said.
The Starship Troopers actress explained that it was difficult to help her daughters understand their father’s diagnosis. However, it was the only time she had to share such serious news with them.
Richards, who has worked to shield her daughters from Sheen’s public controversies, said, “There have been a few things I’ve had to talk to them about, but for the most part, I really tried to protect them from a lot.”
Richards and Sheen, 59, were married in 2002 and divorced in 2006.
He later wed Brooke Mueller in 2008, but they split in 2011.
Richards married her current husband, Aaron Phypers, in 2018.
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