Denise Richards was "upset" with her ex-husband Charlie Sheen for publicly disclosing his HIV diagnosis without informing her in advance

When asked whether she and Sheen had openly discussed their personal lives and past controversies with their children, the actress said: "I did not because the girls weren't ones to Google us.

"But there were things that I would tell them, 'You might hear something at school. If you have any questions, please come to me'."

Charlie, now 58, revealed his HIV status in an interview with Matt Lauer on the 'Today' show in 2015. Denise said: "I felt kind of upset with him when he did that. But I understood that he had to because the tabloids found out."

She added: "I wish he gave me a heads-up, like, 'Hey, I'm doing it today.' You know? Because it was everywhere."

Denise added she picked up their daughters from school early to avoid them learning about it from their classmates.

She said: "I had to have a conversation about that. And it was kind of hard to explain to them what it was. "That was the only time... there's been a few things that I've had to have conversations with. But for the most part, I really try to shelter them from a lot of stuff."

Denise and Charlie, who were married from 2002 to 2006, have two daughters - Sami, 21, and Lola, 19. The actress also has a third girl, Eloise, 13, who she adopted in 2011.

When Charlie announced his diagnosis, he said: "I'm here to admit that I am in fact HIV-positive and I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful stories that I am threatening the health of others, which couldn't be farther from the truth."

He revealed he had been diagnosed four years prior after experiencing "crushing headaches and insane migraines and sweating the bed, completely drenched two to three nights in a row".

On the podcast, Denise also discussed her co-parenting relationship with the actor.

She added: "Truthfully, it wasn't co-parenting. I parent my way, he parents his way, and there was no co-parenting.

"I have kids with him, and I'm not really " I'm friendly with Charlie, but I wish we were friends and that we could talk all the time and be able to be there really for each other with our girls.

"But that's just not the relationship we have. Maybe one day.

"But, I mean, right now, there's nothing. There's no discord between he and I, which is great."