Denise Richards says that the leak of her private nudes hurt her whole family.
Just days after detailing allegations of domestic abuse from Aaron Phypers in court, the actress testified about the invasion of her personal photos.
She accuses her estranged husband of distributing her private communications and pictures, echoing allegations that she made this summer.
Now, she’s delving into how her daughters were impacted by this painful breach of privacy.
On Wednesday, October 8, Denise Richards testified in court about the effect that leaked nudes had upon her and her family.
“It’s been difficult for my daughters, especially with the naked photos,” she told the judge, according to Fox News.
“I’m so embarrassed and shameful as a mom,” Denise lamented.
Referring to Lola Sheen, her middle daughter, she added: “[My daughter] couldn’t go to church.”
Presumably, this does not mean that Lola’s church banned her. It more likely means that she felt awkward about what had been done to her mother, and wished to avoid unwanted questions.
Back in July, Denise sought (and obtained) a restraining order against estranged husband Aaron Phypers.
In addition to harrowing allegations of domestic violence and threats, she also accused her ex of invading and stealing her electronic devices.
The motive, Denise explained, had been to disseminate her “private information, including nude photographs.”
At the time, Judge Nicole Bershon ordered Phypers to return her computer.
The judge also enjoined him from distributing any further private information or private photos that he had already downloaded from her electronic devices.
When Denise Richards applied for that temporary restraining order, she cited more than just stolen nudes.
“Aaron stole my laptop and sent private text messages he had stolen from my laptop without my permission,” she told the court at the time.
Denise added: “Aaron threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
Notably, that apparent threat is consistent with her testimony earlier this week.
At that time, she described her now-ex having allegedly barged into her office and demanding her phone — and threatening her if she contacted authorities after he allegedly swiped off her hat, injuring her after a recent surgery.
On Wednesday, Denise’s attorney grilled her estranged husband on how he came into possession of her private photos.
“I took pictures with my phone of her phone,” Phypers admitted. “This was stuff she was hiding from me.”
He claimed that he believed that this was acceptable: “I didn’t think it was private. … My wife was cheating on me.”
Phypers, who previously denied the allegations that he disseminated her private photos, seemed to change his tune.
When asked if he had violated Denise’s privacy, he responded: “No absolutely not. She was already sharing with someone.”
It is interesting that Denise Richards noted that her ex’s alleged actions impacted her family, not just herself.
Lola Sheen seems to be a sort of awkward middle child.
It seems that her reaction to her famous parents and to her very likeable older sister, Sami, has been to work at being as different as possible.
In her case, teen (and now, young adult) rebellion has meant diving headfirst into conservative Christianity.
This has led to friction, particularly when she seems to publicly support open bigotry. Hopefully, in time, she will find a way to express her faith without further marginalizing others.