KEY POINTS:
Denise Richards never talks about her weight in front of her two daughters.
The actress - who has two daughters, four-year-old Sam and two-year-old Lola, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen - fears her girls will become paranoid about their figures in the future if they hear her discuss her weight worries.
She said: "I'll never talk about weight around my girls. And they'll never hear me say, 'Mommy's feeling fat today.' That kind of attitude just makes young girls grow up to be dissatisfied with their bodies."
Denise - who can soon be seen in a new reality show for US TV network E! - says her mother Joni, who died of cancer last November, inspired her to set a good example for her children.
She said: "Even at the end, when things were really dire for my mother, she was never negative. There was an inner strength about her.
"I want to teach my girls the importance of picking yourself up and moving forward."
The 37-year-old star also revealed she maintains her toned physique by exercising regularly, and hopes to pass on her passion for sport to the girls.
She added to Shape magazine: "Working out is part of my life, not just an 'I have to get ready for a photo-shoot' thing. I exercise almost every day. The girls usually play in the workout room with me, so they're learning by example."
- BANG! SHOWBIZ