Denise Richards ex Aaron Phypers claims he caught RHOBH star ‘cheating' on him as she accuses him of domestic violence
It comes just days after Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Denise, 54, accused Aaron of domestic violence, alleging he "threatened to kill her and caused her at least three concussions."
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Denis also claimed that Phypers, who filed for divorce on July 7, would hack her laptop and phone and download all of her text messages.
Now Aaron has revealed what triggered their explosive July 4 fight and subsequent divorce.
He claimed he found out about Denise's alleged hookup with another man earlier this year, when he found text messages between them on Denise's laptop.
Aaron told TMZ in an interview that the messages included selfies and plans for "rendezvous at a hotel".
He told the publication that he confronted Denise about the alleged affair and they decided to work it out and stay together.
But when the pair got into a huge fight over the 4th July weekend, it prompted Aaron to file for divorce.
He also claimed that his phone went missing for more than 24 hours and later found it smashed to pieces in a bin.
Aaron alleged that he questioned Denise about the phone but she "hit and scratched him", adding that he believes the phone had proof of her alleged affair.
The Sun has reached out to Denise's rep for comment.
Denise alleged that she suffered physical and verbal abuse throughout her seven-year marriage with Aaron, including strikes to her head and face and degrading profanities, according to court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun.
"Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom rack, threaten to kill me," Richards said in court documents.
"Aaron regularly threatened to 'break my jaw' and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help - none of which ever happened," the actress added.
"Aaron has caused me at least three concussions. Aaron has told me that he has left recording devices to record me while I was alone in hotel rooms and at my townhouses."
Most recently, Denise alleged that on July 4, over the course of two hours, Aaron repeatedly "got within two inches of my face and screamed at me degrading profanities, including calling me a c**t, whore, and a piece of s**t."
Denise added: "Aaron's actions were scaring me to the point that, as with nearly all of Aaron's abuse of me, I was afraid that Aaron may kill me."
The Wild Things actress claimed she never called law enforcement on her husband because Aaron "threatened to kill himself" if she reported him, she said in court documents.
VICIOUS ATTACK
During an incident on January 17, 2022, Richards alleged that Phypers viciously used the heel of his palm to strike her in her left eye, causing massive swelling and bruising.
Richards claimed that moments before the incident, Phypers became "paranoid" claiming that several potted plants he had just purchased for his workspace contained listening devices.
The actress said Phypers began screaming and that's when a police officer, who would regularly station in the parking lot of the Malibu property, approached the door.
However, after the officer left, Richards alleged that Phypers continued screaming then "used the heel of his palm to strike me in the eye while calling me a 'f**king b***h.'"
Richards claimed a family member witnessed the attack, which caused significant bruising to form around her left eye.
"The bruising took a month to heal. I had to cancel two professional meetings and rely on a makeup artist - who was aware of the situation - to cover the injury for an unavoidable work obligation," she added.
She claimed her husband insisted she tell others that she had "walked into a piece of his equipment stored on the building's balcony."
A judge granted Richards a temporary restraining order against Phypers that will last until August 8, when the estranged couple are due in court.
Phypers was ordered to stay 100 yards from Richards' home, place of work and vehicle.
He was also ordered to return her laptops and everything he downloaded from her phone.
DIVORCE SHOCK
The U.S. Sun previously reported that Richards was caught by surprise when she learned about Phypers divorce filing.
Sources close to the former Housewives of Beverly Hills star said she felt "utterly betrayed."
"She never in a million years wanted to get another divorce and she never in a million years thought he would do this to her," the insider told The U.S. Sun in early July.
"It's a betrayal; he promised he would never do this. She made it crystal clear to him thousands of times that they could work through anything no matter how big the problem but divorce was never an option.
"He agreed. Then did this. There's more questions than answers right now."
Phypers is requesting spousal support to continue with their lavish lifestyle, which cost over $105,000 a month, according to court papers filed in Los Angeles.
"Denise thinks it's egregious he is seeking spousal support from her after she has been financially supporting him all these years," the source added.
'She thought he was different but turns out he's what people warned her about.'
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.
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