‘Smiles over talent’ actress Denise Richards insists that although she and her wayward ex husband Charlie Sheen can never be friends, she won’t badmouth him in front of their two children. The pair have two young daughters together, and Richards has even fired a nanny for speaking ill of Charlie Sheen in front of their two girls.

I actually fired a nanny once, for bashing Charlie in front of the girls.

Charlie is their dad, so if I insult their father it’s an insult to them. I don’t want them ever to feel torn between the two of us.

Denise is upset that she and Charlie couldn’t remain friends after their break-up, which is all too common in divorce, especially when there is a custody battle involved.

Charlie is truly a stranger to me, and that’s the really sad part.

I know many people who have gotten divorced and remained good friends, and I envy that because it’s obviously much healthier for the kids than our situation.

But I’ve always tried to handle this respectfully. If you go back and try to dig up quotes about what I’ve said, there’s not a lot out there.

The problems between Richards and Sheen were well documented, but it’s nice to see that even though their split was extremely bitter, she’s still able to put their differences aside when it comes to their children. If only all women were like this.

Clive Bellmore