Denise Richards has hit back at claims she stole Richie Sambora from pal Heather Locklear, insisting they were not friends at the time. Richards began dating the Bon Jovi guitarist following the breakdown of her marriage to Charlie Sheen in 2006 - just months after he ended his 11-year marriage to Locklear.

However Richards doesn't regret her year-long fling with the rocker, because she had already ended her friendship with Locklear. She says, "Honestly I knew that situation wasn't going to go over very well and it was going to be in the press. I had no idea it would blow up the way it did."

"The truth of the matter is my friendship with Heather ended before Richie and I even started dating. That's one thing I don't know if people knew or not. I never had an affair. I never cheated on Charlie and Richie never cheated on Heather. If I was still friends with Heather, I would have never crossed that line with Richie at all."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)