Denise Richards hits the ice with her girls

Actress Denise Richards was every inch the doting mother on Christmas Eve as she took her two daughters ice skating.

The 37-year-old looked happier than ever as she enjoyed some festive fun with Sam, 4, and Lola, 3, at an outdoor rink in Santa Monica, California.

The family trip comes just weeks after the girls narrowly avoided injury after they were involved in a four-car pile.

Family fun: Denise Richards takes her daughters Sam and Lola at the Promenade in Santa Monica, Los Angeles

The actress gives her youngest Lola a hand while Sam looks on

Sam and Lola were travelling with their nanny in Malibu when a Honda Civic made a turn in front of them, causing several vehicles to collide.

Denise has been locked in a bitter feud with her her ex Charlie Sheen, the girls' father, since their marriage crumbled in 2006

Last year Charlie took the former Bond Girl to court in a failed attempt to prevent her from including their daughters in her reality show It's Complicated.

Charlie's father Martin said at the time: 'We were hoping they wouldn't be exposed to that. It's unfortunate. But she's of a mind where it's important to her.

'Maybe she has to get involved with something to realise how big a mistake it is.'

Two And A Half Men star Charlie, who is now married to Brooke Mueller, said: 'I think we should all just boycott the damn thing.'

Despite the controversy, the show was recently picked up for a second season with filming due to begin in the New Year.

Denise defended her decision to include the girls in the E! series in October.

'They weren't there 24/7, we definitely have set hours' she told US magazine.

'They have been around this since they were born so they were just happy momma was home working,' she told US magazine.