Locklear and Sambora in 2005
Kevin Winter/Getty
Lawyers for both Locklear and Sambora met with a judge on Wednesday to finalize the divorce settlement, the source says.
The couple were married for 11 years and have a 9-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth.
"This has been an unbelievably difficult year for Heather," says the source, a friend of Locklear's. "It's a huge relief for her that this part of her life has come to a close."
Locklear, 45, filed for divorce from Sambora, 47, in February 2006. A month later, he filed papers seeking joint custody and asking to have the terms of a prenuptial agreement enforced.
The actress, who recently shot the ABC comedy pilot See Jayne Run, has been "spending time with Ava, her family and friends, and just keeping it low-key," says her pal.
Locklear, who has been linked since the split to David Spade and is now rumored to be dating her former Melrose Place costar Jack Wagner, remains "on good terms" with Sambora, who is dating Denise Richards, says the source.
