Denise Richards says her brunette transformation happened on a “whim” after a chat with her daughters.

The former blonde actress, 53, who has girls Lola, 18, and Sami, 20, with her 68-year-old former husband Charlie Sheen, as well as an adopted daughter Eloise, 12, says her older girls also encouraged her to go “darker again” after they saw throwback snaps of her in her younger acting days, which saw her star in films including ‘Wild Things’ with dark brown locks.

She told People: “I went darker because actually, my older daughters were the ones that encouraged me to because they saw pictures of me when I first started acting and (when I was) a little younger, and they’re like, ‘Mom, we think you should go darker again.’

“(I did it) on a whim.”

Denise moved on from ‘Platoon’ star Charlie – who she divorced in 2006 after four years of marriage – by getting hitched to actor Aaron Phypers, 51, who also adopted her daughter Eloise.

Denise also told People about her family’s Easter weekend traditions, saying: “We love to cook and we have the family together. For Easter, it’s always been Easter egg hunts.

“My older girls are a little older but it's fun for them to see their little sister still enjoy the Easter bunny and an Easter egg hunt.”

Despite their stormy break-up, Denise insisted Charlie was “always welcome” to join them.

She added: “The more the merrier at our house. We just cook a lot of food, and friends and family come, so it’s always fun.”

Charlie recently said he and Denise are on good terms nearly 18 years after their divorce, which came when Denise filed for a split amid his drink and drug addictions.

He told People: “We’re absolutely friendly. We went through so much together that I don’t think either one of us has any energy left to be divisive.”

Charlie added he and Denise prioritise their daughters, adding: “The only thing that matters is the kids. We knew we had to park our nonsense and focus on the children, because they had nothing to do with any of our crud.”