Richie Sambora still loves his ex-wife

London: American rock guitarist Richie Sambora says he still loves his ex-wife Heather Locklear but insists that his 16-year-old daughter Ava is more dearer.

59-year-old Sambora married to Locklear in 1994 and divorced in 2007 but the couple still shares a close bond with each other, reportedly. "Time does heal old wounds. I mean, I still love Heather and I know she loves me. She`s the mother of my child, man. What can you say?" he said. Sambora says Ava is his "favourite girl" and gushed about how proud he is of what the teen star has achieved. "She and I are close and have a candid relationship," said the `When a Blind Man Cries` singer. Earlier this year, he revealed it was essential for him and Locklear to keep relations cordial for the sake of Ava. "If you don`t get along you are messing the kid up. That`s what happens," he had said.