NEWSHeather Locklear 'Wants Denise Richards Far Away' From Lorenzo Lamas Amid Past Richie Sambora Scandal, Source Says
Denise Richards has been trying to make amends with Heather Locklear, 64, nearly two decades after their falling-out, a source claims.
Sept. 9 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Heather Locklear is reportedly in no hurry to rebuild her fractured friendship with Denise Richards.
According to Star, Richards has been trying to make amends nearly two decades after the pair's falling out, but Locklear, 64, is still keeping her distance.
A source claims that Locklear would prefer that Richards stay away as she focuses on her own life and relationship.
Locklear Remains Cautious About Richards
A source cited by the outlet claims Locklear sees no path back to the friendship and has never fully moved past the rift.
Richards has made attempts at outreach to her former friend, according to Star, but the outlet's source said Locklear sees no path back to the friendship the two once had. The insider suggests that Locklear has never fully moved past the rift that ended their bond years ago over rocker Richie Sambora.
"The way Heather sees it, Denise showed her true colors all those years ago," the source told Star.
"She isn’t going to tempt fate by letting her back into her life, and having Lorenzo in the picture only makes Heather more cautious," the insider dished. Locklear is currently in a relationship with Lorenzo Lamas, whom she would reportedly prefer to keep away from Richards due to the pair's ongoing feud.
Representatives for Locklear and Richards have yet to address the reports.
Locklear and Lamas Reconnected
The report adds that Locklear would rather Richards stay away from her boyfriend, Lorenzo Lamas, whom she reconnected with over the 2025 holidays.
The source claims Locklear is especially antsy about Richards interacting with Lamas as the couple settles into their relationship, drawing a boundary around her current romance.
Locklear and Lamas, who first met during a magazine photo shoot in 1983, reconnected over the 2025 holidays and confirmed their romance in early 2026.
The pair have since made public appearances together and blended their families, and Lamas has described Locklear in glowing terms. The two have been dating for the better part of a year following Locklear's split from former ex-fiancé Chris Heisser.
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A Longstanding Rift
The tension traces to 2006, when Locklear filed for divorce from Richie Sambora and Richards began a romance with him soon after.
The tension between the actresses traces to the mid-2000s. Locklear was married to Bon Jovi guitarist Sambora for more than a decade before filing for divorce in 2006, and Richards began a romance with Sambora soon after. Photos of Richards and Sambora together fueled a public perception that Richards had betrayed her friend.
Richards has long disputed those events. She's previously said the friendship had already ended months before she and Sambora got together, telling interviewers that she would never have crossed that line while she and Locklear were still close, and denying that she had an affair during the marriage.
The two women had previously been close enough to socialize regularly and even shared an on-screen kiss when Richards guest-starred on a sitcom featuring Locklear.
A Contentious Divorce
Richards is currently going through a contentious divorce from Aaron Phypers, who filed in July.
The reported outreach from Richards comes from a particularly turbulent stretch in her personal life. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star is going through a contentious divorce from Aaron Phypers, who filed in July, and the two have made competing accusations in court. Richards has garnered public support from other friends in the reality TV world during the split.
Richards married Phypers in 2018, years after her high-profile marriage to Charlie Sheen, with whom she shares two daughters. Locklear, meanwhile, has continued to keep her personal life relatively private as she moves forward with Lamas.
