Heather Locklear Is 'Very Healthy' and Doing Well Ahead of TV Return Despite Tabloid Reports

By
This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

After recent tabloid headlines alleged that Heather Locklear is in a "downward spiral," a close friend of the veteran TV actress tells ET there is no truth to the rumors.

The gossip started when Locklear, 54, was snapped two weeks ago, where she appeared to be without makeup and possibly sporting an injury on her nose.

WATCH: Tyler Perry's 'Too Close to Home' Brings Heather Locklear Back to TV in Guest-Starring Role

A tabloid subsequently claimed that Locklear has been "drowning her sorrows with alcohol" since she and her plastic surgeon boyfriend, Marc Mani, split in May.

According to Locklear's close friend, however, the actress rarely drinks and is "very healthy and in good condition -- she plays tennis twice a week and walks two miles several times a week."

As for claims that Locklear is "out of work," the friend tells ET that the former Melrose Place star has no money problems and is even very frugal with what she has earned from her acting and lucrative endorsement deals.

In fact, Locklear is about to make her return to TV with a recurring role on Tyler Perry's TLC soap opera, Too Close to Home.

"The writing is amazing!" Locklear gushed about the show recently in a behind-the-scenes clip. "The writing is one of the best things I've ever gotten to do."

WATCH: Heather Locklear's Lookalike Daughter Ava Sambora Talks Bikini Modeling Career

The false stories are just par for the course for Locklear, who is no stranger to the rumor mill. Last month, she was pitted against her own daughter, Ava Sambora, in headlines that alleged Locklear was jealous of her child's success as a bikini model and actress.

"My mom is the last person to be like, 'I'm jealous of you. I don't want you to be successful,'" Sambora told ET in July. "That's clearly the most far-fetched thing I've ever heard."