Denise Richards opens up on the confidence boost that saved her year

Denise Richards has addressed the public disclosure of her recent cosmetic surgery, revealing that her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, prematurely shared details she had intended to keep private.

The couple separated on 4 July 2025, with Phypers filing for divorce in Los Angeles just three days later, citing irreconcilable differences.

In a candid interview with Allure, the actress explained that she underwent a full facelift last year, performed by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr Ben Talei, but Phypers effectively "let the cat out of the bag" regarding the procedure.

The 55-year-old star admitted to feeling significant trepidation about the surgery due to her decades-long career in the spotlight.

Reflecting on her decision to undergo the operation, she stated: “I wanted to put things back up, where they were before.”

She further acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining privacy as a public figure, noting: “I was terrified. Being in the public eye since my 20s, people know what I look like - a facelift is not something that I could hide.”

Despite her initial fears, Richards described the results as transformative, providing her with much-needed confidence during a tumultuous period in her personal life.

She characterised the change between her previous and current appearance as being “night and day,” asserting that the surgery would have been her choice regardless of her profession.

She concluded by stating: “It's just given me a new lease of life. It's given me confidence. And people have asked me, if I wasn't an actress, would I still have had it? And I would have.”