Kim Richards' arrest: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Adrienne Maloof says it's 'a cry for help'

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Adrienne Maloof has spoken out about Kim Richard's arrest, insisting that her co-star is crying out for help.

The 50-year-old reality star was taken into police custody on Thursday (16 April) following an alleged drunken confrontation with a police officer at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

A statement from the Beverly Hills Police Department claimed that law enforcement were called to the venue after Richards "had too much to drink and was disturbing some of the other patrons" in the hotel's restaurant.

Fans of the hit show will know that Richards has struggled with substance and alcohol abuse in the past and even spent some time in rehab in 2012. As Richards has been sober for three years, Maloof has raised concerns over her pal's mental health.

"I think this is a cry for help. Right now Kim needs help," she told E! news "She and [sisters] Kyle Richards and Kathy [Hilton] are in my prayers and have my full support."

Brandi Glanville, Lisa Vanderpump, and Lisa Rinna have also put aside their differences to reach out and off their support.

Meanwhile, her sister Kyle Richards has slammed reports that she is still refusing to help her embattled relative in the wake of her run-in with the law. Radar Online reported that while the "whole family has been worried about Kim," Kyle was not budging.

"Kyle has been saying that Kim needs help for months and she wasn't shocked when she learned she got arrested. She wants their sister Kathy [Hilton] to help convince Kim to get treatment and to face her issues. She isn't talking to Kim right now."

But Kyle, whose relationship with Richards has been strained ever since her sister's dog bit Kyle's daughter on the hand, has denied the rumours and called the story "inaccurate".

In February Richards admitted in a blog post that although she was "still sober and strong mentally and physically" she had "made a mistake" by taking her ex-husband's painkillers for chronic pain.

"However, that one situation did not give anyone the right to spread the rumour that I had relapsed and been drinking," she wrote. "[The 'Housewives' castmates'] constant chatter about me honestly feels like they're belittling all the hard work I've put into my recovery for the past three years," she wrote.