Heather Locklear: A rollercoaster ride through love and heartache

The rocker was taken aback by the news, because the message apparently didn’t reach the rocker, who had been on tour recently. And he fired back when reporters asked what had happened between the couple. Richie claimed that the reports of their divorce were ”completely untrue” and that he was in the midst of making plans for Valentine’s Day with his wife.

But the fact was that Heather had indeed filed for divorce. And as the days went by, more and more dirty details began to emerge. According to People, Heather had stumbled upon an email sent to Richie Sambora from a woman they both knew. The email contained provocative pictures.

That discovery was the last straw, leaving Heather ”absolutely devastated.” Sambora, however, vehemently denies any marital indiscretion.

Heather Locklear and Denise Richards, what happened?

But the turmoil surrounding her divorce didn’t end there. The breakup also caused a rift between Heather and her close friend Denise Richards. Shortly after the divorce, Richie Sambora began dating Denise, who was also going through a highly publicized and tough split from Charlie Sheen. Since Charlie and Heather had become friends after working together on the TV show Spin City, the two couples were well-acquainted.

The divorces brought Denise and Richie together, and they eventually fell in love, which naturally didn’t sit well with Heather. There was speculation that a possible affair between Richie and Denise was the real reason for Heather’s divorce, though Denise has denied this. What is clear, however, is that Richie and Denise’s relationship deeply hurt Heather.

“The thing with Heather, that’s been hard,” Denise Richards told Entertainment Tonight in 2006. “You can’t help who you fall for and that friendship, unfortunately, was done and wasn’t salvageable.”