(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Denise Richards teaches her daughters about addiction after becoming fed up of "lying" to them about their father, Charlie Sheen.

The American actress and former model has three daughters, Sam, 7, Lola, 6, and her recently adopted baby girl Eloise Joni.

He two eldest daughters are from her marriage with ex-husband Charlie, who has had a public battle with drink and drug addiction throughout his career.

Charlie is regularly in the headlines for his turbulent personal life and marital problems and was fired from his role on hit television show Two and a Half Men earlier this year, after he allegedly made anti-Semitic remarks to the show's bosses.

Denise says she tried to "completely" shield Sam and Lola from the constant media reports surrounding their dad, but his behaviour led her to "have a conversation with them about addiction."

"I got a book to read to them," she explained on the Today Show. "I was just lying to them about so much, and covering up things and totally lying. It was just getting too confusing that I had to sit down with them."

"It's too early [for them to understand]. I told them enough for them to make sense of things that were going on."

Denise, 40, insists she still worries about the well-being of her former beau. The stunning star believes however, that Charlie has a strong sense of character and will eventually turn things around.

"Of course," she said. "He's the father of our children [But] he's also a survivor. If anyone can pull themselves together, it's Charlie."

Denise recently disclosed that she is on friendly terms with her former husband and they "talk every day". She said that Charlie has even spent time with her new baby and "knows how much I love, love kids, so he was very supportive".

"Charlie is truly very happy for me. He knows I always wanted more kids." (C) Cover Media