Denise Richards has undergone emergency surgery for four hernias

Femoral hernias occur when fatty tissue or a part of the bowel pokes through into the groin at the top of the inner thigh, whilst inguinal ones are caused by tissue or a part of the intestine protruding through a weak spot in the abdominal muscles.

In a post on social media, she wrote: “My hubby posted this & I need to actually thank him for taking such great care of me. This was a couple months ago & turned out to be a good lesson for me to always listen to my body.

“Being a mom, wife, & having a career sometimes it’s easier to just be strong and power through, I thought the pain & my other symptoms would just go away. They did not and got a lot worse. I’m so grateful to @herniadoc & her fabulous team. I thought I had one femoral hernia, I actually had 2 femoral & 2 inguinal. And I waited way too long & didn’t even tell my husband how bad I was feeling (I know it was stupid) ... gotta always listen to our bodies & take care of ourselves. (sic)”

Denise also shared the original message posted by her husband Aaron Phypers, who broke the news of the actress’ condition on his own Instagram page.

He wrote: “To the most incredible woman my soulmate. I am always in awe of your Beauty perseverance, dedication in all you do. These photos taken a couple of months ago from an emergency procedure femoral hernia not one but four! 6 hours waiting close by. Love you baby everyday getting stronger! @deniserichards (sic)”