Despite their tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce, Denise Richards and ex-husband Charlie Sheen have a thriving co-parenting relationship. The exes, who split 15 years ago, are the proud parents of two teenage girls: Sam, 17, and Lola, 15. Because of their girls, Denise and Charlie are “in a cordial place right now and getting along well,” a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
They’ve come a long way. Their marriage ended dramatically amid Charlie’s struggles with addiction and wild behavior. Denise described their union as “toxic” on a May 2020 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. “I always did whatever I could to hide Charlie’s behavior. How do you tell kids what’s really going on? I would say ‘Dad has to go to work, but he loves you so much, he wants to be there for you girls,’” Denise said.
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Now, Charlie is sober and has a wonderful relationship with Sam and Lola. Denise has played a large part in making that happen, the source said, revealing that the Starship Troopers star “includes Charlie on anything when it comes to the girls and has tried to make it feel like a family unit. They talk almost every day.” Denise also makes sure that her daughters are connected to the rest of Charlie’s family, like their famous grandfather, Martin Sheen, and their older sister, Cassandra Estevez (from Charlie’s previous relationship with Paula Speert)
It hasn’t been easy. Denise and Charlie have a long history and they don’t always agree. But they’re making it work so their daughters can have two loving parents. In fact, Denise and Charlie just got together to celebrate Sam’s 17th birthday looking happy as clams. The foursome went out to dinner and treated their oldest to birthday cake — an adorable family moment.
“They do not always see eye to eye and they do fight, but Denise works really hard at making the relationship solid as possible,” the insider shared. “She’s worked really hard at having the best relationship she can with him and hasn’t ever given up on him despite their ups and downs.”