Locklear and Sambora: Livin' on a Prayer?

While no one was surprised to learn of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s split last week, we hear music biz insiders are buzzing about the possible marital troubles of another, less-stage-managed Hollywood couple—Heather Locklear and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.

Long admired for sustaining one of the arena-rock world’s most stable marriages—their eleventh anniversary is later this month—the couple recently fell out over Sambora’s desire to give their 8-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth, a sibling, according to a source close to the band. We’re told the 44-year-old Locklear, who frequently complains about movie execs’ disdain for aging actresses, thinks a second child would hurt her chances at landing the sexy roles she specializes in.

“She doesn’t want another kid because she thinks she’s Hollywood royalty,” says our source. “But Richie is an only child and desperately wants another kid.”

Another strain on the couple is the fact that Sambora has just embarked on a seven-month, 20-country world tour with Bon Jovi to promote their new album Have a Nice Day--and we’re told the band is doing everything they can to convince him to “dump Locklear and move on.” 

“The members of the band never liked her anyway, particularly Jon Bon Jovi,” says the source. “The band’s a bunch of blue-collar stiffs from New Jersey who feel that they got lucky. They’re regular guys, and Heather is spoiled—she still thinks that’s she’s an ingénue.” 

But Sambora isn’t the only one looking for a way out, we hear. According to our source, Locklear has been “stepping out” on her husband.

One person the Perfect Man actress has been spotted with frequently in recent months is her ex-husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. As the New York Post’s Page Six reported, Locklear invited the tattoo-festooned sex-tape auteur back to her place with six female friends after celebrating her birthday at a Manhattan restaurant in October. Apparently she’s forgiven Lee for his affair with porn star Debi Diamond, the incident that ended their marriage of seven years in 1993.

Asked about the marital issues, a spokeswoman for Locklear and Sambora said, “There is absolutely no truth to any of this. They are fine.”