What Happened Between Heather Locklear And Richie Sambora That Led To Their Public Divorce?
Why Did Heather Locklear And Richie Sambora Get Divorced?
From the moment that Heather Locklear first became a TV star, there were millions of people who couldn’t get enough of her. As a result, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that it was long believed that Locklear could rejuvenate shows that were failing.
Similarly, many people were pretty smitten with Locklear in real life, but she was off the market not long after she became famous. In 1986, Locklear and Mötley Crüe’s drummer Tommy Lee walked down the aisle, and they stayed married for almost eight years.
Within months of her first marriage ending, Locklear walked down the aisle with another Rock ‘N’ Roll superstar. As Bon Jovi’s lead guitarist, Richie Sambora was extremely successful when he and Locklear got married
After they first tied the knot in a New Jersey civil service, Sambora and Locklear were so in love that they flew to Paris for another ceremony. Almost three years after Locklear and Sambora were married, their daughter Ava Sambora was born in 1997.
Just over eleven years after Locklear and Sambora were wed, it was announced that she’d filed for divorce. In 2006 Locklear cited irreconcilable differences as her reason for ending her marriage which is pretty typical. However, the fallout of Locklear filing for divorce was anything other than typical.
After Locklear decided to get divorced, her publicist spread the news. Amazingly enough, according to what Sambora told an ABC News Radio interviewer, Locklear filing for divorce took him by complete surprise.
When he was asked about the news that Locklear was ending their marriage, Sambora responded, “It’s completely untrue”. Instead, Sambora said that he was going home to be with Locklear and that they had plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
“I’m going home. Heather was just up for our anniversary and that was Dec. 15 … I was home for like two and a half weeks over Christmas, and I have a month off in March, so it’s going to be good.”
Only a couple of months before Locklear filed for divorce, she and Sambora also put out a statement denying there was any drama in their relationship. “The real story is that there is no story. The truth is that after 11 years together, we are still happily married. Boring but true.”
Given that Sambora clearly had no idea at the time that his marriage was ending, that leaves observers with one main question. Unfortunately for anyone who want to confirm why Locklear divorced Sambora, she never put out an explanation.
According to reports, however, Locklear’s reasons for divorcing Sambora were messy.
Considering that Sambora seemed so shocked that Locklear ended their marriage, observers may have expected him to take a long time to move on. However, Sambora moved on very quickly and that is what led to the whole situation becoming a mess that the tabloids couldn’t resist reporting on.
After Locklear filed to end their marriage in February 2006, it was reported that Sambora was dating Denise Richards in April 2006. Even though Sambora was single, there is a reason why it became scandalous that he was involved with Richards.
According to what an insider told In Touch Weekly in April 2006, Richards actually played a role in Locklear’s decision to file for divorce.
Based on what the insider claimed, Richards who was friends with Locklear encouraged the actor to divorce Sambora and then went on to date the rock star. “[Richards] was the one who told Heather to file for divorce. Now it looks like she had an ulterior motive.”
It is important to note that Richards, Locklear, nor Sambora has confirmed that In Touch Weekly’s reporting is accurate. That said, their report is the only publicly known explanation for Sambora and Locklear’s divorce that has been offered up to date.
Do Heather Locklear And Richie Sambora Get Along Now?
Putting aside the reasons for Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora’s divorce leaves another fascinating question about the former couple. Years after Locklear and Sambora’s sudden divorce, what is their relationship like today?
Roughly eight years after Locklear and Sambora’s relationship ended, the Bon Jovi guitarist was interviewed by People Magazine. During the resulting conversation, Sambora revealed that despite how their relationship ended, he and Locklear still loved each other.
“Time does heal old wounds. I mean, I still love Heather and I know she loves me. She’s the mother of my child, man. What can you say?”
Of course, saying you get along with your ex is a lot easier than actually doing it. It certainly seems like Locklear and Sambora truly have a solid relationship, however, considering they have been seen celebrating their daughter together since their divorce. A perfect example of that is they both attended when Ava Sambora walked the catwalk as a model.
More importantly, Sambora has proven to be completely there for Locklear during his ex-wife’s time of need.
Sadly for Locklear and her loved ones, in 2018 she was going through a lot of turmoil including multiple arrests and incidents involving alcohol and medication. During this difficult time in Locklear’s life, Sambora hired a team of specialists to help her as he revealed to The Daily Mail.
Sambora also told the Daily Mail that he would be there to help his Locklear whenever she needed aid. “I will of course always be there for Heather and especially Ava. I am very proud of my daughter for her composure and strength during this difficult time.” To Locklear’s eternal credit, she reportedly has been sober for many years now and there haven’t been any incidents with law enforcement since 2018.
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