Inside Aaron Phypers and Denise Richards' Relationship Before Their Split: From First Meeting to Shocking Divorce Filing

It's over now for Aaron Phypers and Denise Richards.

The now-estranged couple's love story began when they met at Phypers' wellness clinic, Quantum 360, where she was doing "DNA repair, anti-aging, and that sort of a thing."

"Then, one time we had s-- in one of his rooms. We've been inseparable ever since," Richards recalled in a February 2019 episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

The World Is Not Enough actress shared more details about their first meeting during a Bravo After Show for the reality series, saying their relationship was initially professional.

"We would start talking about different things because we knew a lot of the same people and same interests," she explained, adding she "started to develop an attraction to him."

Phypers and Richards sparked dating rumors after being spotted together in public in September 2017. At the time, the actor-turned-businessman was still legally married to actress Nicollette Sheridan.

Shortly after Phypers finalized his divorce from Sheridan, he proposed to Richards — just 15 months into their relationship.

"The engagement has been a long time coming. He moved on from his past relationship a long time ago, and marrying Denise is a welcome new chapter for both of them in different but equally significant ways," a source told People.

The insider added, "The two of them are very happy and have settled into life with one another, so now they're pretty focused on getting this very intimate ceremony off the ground. They're just ready to start their married life together."

However, a Us Weekly source claimed Phypers and Richards actually got engaged in January 2018, but they decided to keep it a secret "because they didn't want a lot of attention leading up to the wedding."

They officially exchanged vows during a private Malibu wedding ceremony on September 8, 2018.

Two months after Richards and Phypers got married, they lost their Malibu home due to the raging Woolsey wildfires in the Los Angeles and Ventura County areas.

"We can't get into our house," said the Wild Things actress in an Instagram video.

Phypers replied, "We cannot get in. We tried."

Richards later revealed they began living in rental homes after losing their beachfront house.

In 2019, Richards shared Phypers had started the process of adopting her youngest daughter, Eloise Joni, whom she adopted in 2011. However, the family reportedly lost the documents in the wildfires.

"It's a tricky process when you lose it. We're waiting for her birth certificate 'cause you need a birth certificate to say you want to adopt a child. But Eloise adores Aaron," she said on an RHOBH After Show.

He later got candid about the situation. "It wasn't even a decision. It is just is," he later told People about the 2019 adoption. “She's a sweetheart. I love her. I think of her as my own."

In a virtual appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Richards revealed Phypers stepped in to film her love scenes on The Bold and the Beautiful.

"I'm really grateful that Aaron is able to come, and it's been fun for all of us to see everyone's husbands and wives on set," she told host Kelly Clarkson in 2020.

Richards also revealed her now-estranged husband was the creative force behind some of her posts on OnlyFans, explaining, "Aaron takes a lot of my content for me. He knows what guys like. I ask him, I show him things and say, 'What do you think?'"

During the premiere of Denise Richards and the Wild Things in March, Richards stated that going through another split was not in the cards for her.

"Yeah, I'm never getting divorced again. Even if we hate each other, I'm not gonna f------ get divorced," she said.

Phypers added, "We'll just have different homes or something. But we're not gonna hate each other."

According to court documents obtained by a media outlet, Phypers filed for divorce from Richards on July 7, marking the end of their six-year marriage. He listed July 4 as the date of separation and cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

Phypers requested spousal support from Richards and that their assets and debts remain separate.