Denise Richards’ Divorce From Aaron Phypers ‘Costing Her a Fortune’ But ‘She Can’t Back Down Now’ (Exclusive)

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers’ acrimonious divorce could destroy them both, a source warns Star.

The holistic healer, 53, has been evicted from their Los Angeles home and theGoFundMe page that his mother, Patricia, created for him only raised $1,308 of its $110K goal before it was seemingly removed from the site.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 54, isn’t faring much better.

“People assume Denise is sitting pretty financially and walking away with all sorts of money — that’s certainly what Aaron is trying to claim — but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” the source explains. “She was already in a sticky spot financially [and] the legal fees are draining her. Denise says she’s terrified she could end up broke.”

Their split turned nasty from the start.

Shortly after he filed for divorce on July 6, Richards requested a temporary domestic violence restraining order against Phypers, claiming he “repeatedly abused” her throughout their 6-year marriage. “He’s almost killed me so many damn times,” she testified before a judge during an October court hearing, per People.

Phypers denied the allegations and in a July interview with TMZ claimed that Richards physically abused him after he discovered that she was having an affair. That same month, in a letter to friends and family obtained by Page Six, Phypers alleged that the Wild Things star “struggled with an addiction to Vicodin” and needs an “intervention.”

An attorney for Richards told People that she will not be responding to Phypers’ “false allegations in a public forum” but that she would address his “abuse in Court.”

“The sad irony is that the more Denise fights Aaron, the more damage she’s doing to herself,” says the source. “But she’s backed into a corner and sees no other way to handle this than to fight back legally, even though it’s costing her a fortune.”

Still, “Denise’s friends are begging her to somehow de-escalate this so she can save some lawyer fees, but she says there’s no chance,” the source continues. “Denise is in war mode, fighting to clear her name and escape from a man she says abused her. She can’t back down now, no matter how far through the mud this drags her.”