Denise Richards broke down in tears in a courtroom Monday as she revealed details about the alleged abuse she endured from her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum took the stand during a hearing related to her temporary restraining order against Phypers, 53.
Richards, 54, became emotional as she spoke about the alleged abuse and claimed that Phypers “would often threaten to throw me through the windows and off balconies” of hotels, People reports.
“He’s almost killed me so many damn times,” Richards said.
Richards shared what led to their split on July 4, when she asked her estranged husband to leave their shared townhouses.
“He got very angry at me and volatile, he got very close to me,” Richards alleged. “I had just recovered from a full facelift and I still had stitches behind my ears, and I felt extremely vulnerable.”
“He would get as close as a couple inches from my face,” Richards testified. “He would grab my arms and he would yell, call me names.”
Richards told the court that she was feeling “extremely vulnerable and in pain” and allegedly asked Phypers to go stay at their old house, where his family was living at the time.
“Emotionally, it was hard for me to understand. Especially with having what he has done for a living, working in the wellness space, that he would know how much that this would affect me emotionally too,” she said. “And it just made me feel vulnerable, it made me feel scared, it made me feel sad. It made me feel intimidated by him. He’s very big.”
Richards recalled an incident that she said took place in April, when she woke up to Phypers allegedly squeezing her head.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“In April, we had gotten back from a work trip. We were lying on the couch, and he wanted to watch a show and stream it from my phone, so we were watching a TV show and I fell asleep on the couch,” she recalled.
“I woke up to him squeezing my head with his hands. My heart started beating so fast. He said, ‘You f—ing b—-, I just saw you’ve been talking to Rudy.’ I was shocked because my phone was opened to stream, he was able to get in and see my messages.”
“I thought I had deleted them, but I hadn’t,” Richards continued. “He started to get louder, and I told him to be quiet and that the girls are sleeping upstairs.”
Phypers did not take the stand during Monday’s hearing.
In court documents, filed on Sept. 29 and viewed by Fox News Digital, Phypers’ lawyers named Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Brandi Glanville and Richard’s ex-husband Charlie Sheen as witnesses.
Richards is mom to daughters Sami Sheen, 21, and Lola Sheen, 20, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Sheen. Richards filed for divorce from Sheen in March 2005 after nearly three years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in November 2006.
Phypers’ lawyers reportedly said that Sheen could testify regarding “Denise’s history of not being truthful and of drug and alcohol abuse.”
Richards responded to Phypers’ witness list by filing an objection on Sept. 30, Fox News Digital reports.
“This person is not a percipient witness to abuse committed by Petitioner against Respondent,” the document said of both Sheen and Glanville.
Phypers filed for divorce from Richards, citing “irreconcilable differences” and listing their date of separation as July 4 after six years of marriage.
A judge granted Richards a temporary restraining order against Phypers on July 16, after she accused her estranged husband of years of physical and verbal abuse.
Richards filed the temporary restraining order against Phypers, claiming that he “regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw’ and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help − none of which ever happened.”
In court documents, viewed by USA Today and other outlets, Richards wrote that Phypers “has caused me at least three concussions.”
Richards said in court filings that throughout her marriage to Phypers, he has “threatened to kill me and himself and the police. He owns at least 8 unregistered guns.”
The Wild Things actor also attached several photos to the filing, including one in which she has a black eye, claiming it was a result of Phypers’ abuse.
Phypers denied Richards’ claims in a Sept. 15 filing and alleged that she “attacked” and “harassed” him “many times,” according to People, which has viewed the court filing.
“I have not abused her and will not abuse her,” he reportedly said in the filing.
Phypers also denied all allegations of mental and physical abuse in a statement to People in July.
“I want to address recent rumors and speculation that have surfaced regarding my relationship with my wife, Denise Richards,” he told People.
“Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise – or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect.
“I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
