Actress Denise Richards has defended her decision to allow her children to appear in her new reality TV show, insisting they want to become stars.

The former Bond girl was taken to court by ex-husband Charlie Sheen in a bid to stop their daughters Sam, three, and two-year-old Lola from appearing on television.

But a Los Angeles judge ruled in Richards’ favour and gave her the green light to feature the kids in the currently untitled programme.

And Richards insists her daughters were desperate to be a part of the project.

She says, "I am a single mum and I am very hands-on with my kids so I can’t do a show without the kids at all.

"I asked them if they wanted to be on TV and Sam said, ‘Yes!’. My girls have been around it so much. They love the make-up. They love the hair. They love all of that.

"I understand why people are judgmental right away saying, ‘How could she have her kids on the show?’ But as long as they’re protected, I feel that they’ll be OK."

Meanwhile, Richards hopes the show will represent her in a good light following months of negative press after the breakdown of her marriage to Sheen in 2006.

She says, "There has definitely been a lot of negative things written about me and going through my divorce. You know, I don’t want to do a bunch of interviews and start mud-slinging with my ex. He’s still their dad. I would like an opportunity for people to see who I am."