Paradis Lost: Johnny Depp And Longtime Girlfriend Split After 14 Years

It’s official. Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have split up. The Hollywood couple, who dated for 14 years, had two children together.

Depp’s publicist said:

“Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children.”

Time Magazine reports that Depp and Paradis met in 1998 while the actor was filming the thriller The Ninth Gate.

According to People Magazine, Depp saw Paradis at the Costes Hotel while filming in Paris. The actor had a friend invite her to their table for a drink and the two sat and talked for hours. (See the video below of Depp reminiscing about the first time he saw Paradis.)

At the time, Depp was a bit of a ladies man with one marriage and a few engagements under his belt. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor married Lori Anne Allison in 1983 (they divorced two years later), was engaged to both Jennifer Grey and Sherilyn Fenn, and proposed to Winona Ryder. Depp was also attached to Kate Moss for a few years before he met Paradis.

But in 1998, after Depp had won acclaim in movies like What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, he fell in love with Paradis. The following year Depp and Paradis had their first child together, Lily-Rose Melody Depp.

Here’s a video of Johnny Depp talking about the first time he saw Vanessa Paradis.

The actor admitted that Lily-Rose wasn’t part of the plan, but couldn’t deny the love that he felt for the child or Paradis. In 2004, after Depp and Paradis welcomed their second child, John “Jack” Christopher Depp III, Depp told OK Magazine:

“You can’t plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision but now I have become the perfect example of all the paternity cliches I laughed at for years. I look forward to having more children. I’d have a hundred if Vanessa were willing.”

Paradis and Depp never married but both stars agreed that they didn’t want to screw up their perfect relationship by making things “official.”

Paradis once told Elle Magazine:

“I love the romance of ‘let’s get married,’ but then, when you have it so perfect … I mean, I’m more married than anybody can be – we have two kids. Maybe one day, but it’s something I can really do without.”

Depp and Paradis kept their relationship relatively quiet. The couple managed to stay out of the tabloids for any unwanted drama as they split time between homes in France and the United States. Depp and Paradis, both busy with blossoming careers, spent a lot of time apart. But trust, according to Paradis, was never an issue.

Paradis told Marie Claire in 2010:

“I could make an endless list of all the things I admire about him. We understand that, if we want our relationship to continue, we must give each other space, allow each other to go off on our own, and trust each other. Not everyone is lucky enough to be given space and trust…. The fact that we’re not together every day plays a big part in keeping our relationship stable.”

Unfortunately, that trust seemed to vanish in the following years. Rumors started circulating about extra-marital affairs (including one with Ashley Olsen) and earlier this year there were reports that the 14-year-relationship was on the brink of collapsing.

Both stars denied the rumors, however.

It’s unclear what caused the split. Neither star has commented on why the relationship has ended but it’s clear that Paradis and Depp have been drifting apart recently. People Magazine reports that the couple have not appeared together on the red carpet in over a year.

Are you upset that Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have gone their separate ways?