Johnny Depp Split With His Ex Vanessa Paradis Because Of Amber Heard: "It All Started With..."

Johnny Depp has had many high-profile relationships— his three-year engagement to Winona Ryder, his long-term relationship with Vanessa Paradis, and his contentious split with Amber Heard, whom he sued for defamation. Fans believed the Pirates of the Caribbean actor was on the verge of settling down with Paradis, with whom he shares custody of their children, Lily-Rose and Jack. However, by the end of 2011, the actor—who stated that he would rather leave his partner than cheat on them—began dating Heard, having met her on the sets of The Rum Diary.

Depp and Paradis met for the first time in 1998, while shooting The Ninth Gate in France. He stated to the Daily Mail, "It was the Hôtel Costes. She was wearing a dress with an exposed back, and I saw that back and that neck, and then she turned around and I saw those eyes, and—boom! My life as a single man was done."

The star of The White Wedding recounted their 'instant' chemistry. Paradis shared, "We were in two different worlds—him in America, me in France—but we had friends in common. We saw each other sometimes for four years. But then, the day we found each other in Paris, we were both in the same world and free, and it was just instant. There was no more time to waste—just no way around it."

Paradis and Depp's separation was reported in January 2012. Rumors of the split began when the former showed up to a film premiere without Depp. Depp first shot off the rumors in May, but he and Paradis later confirmed the news as the media scrutiny grew. Subsequently, they avoided talking about their relationship for nearly a year.

Fast forward to the contentious trial between Depp and Heard, the Edward Scissorhands actor seemed to confirm his affair with Heard on April 19, 2022, at a hearing. Depp testified that he began to feel romantically invested in Heard during the shooting of a passionate shower scene in 2011. "I felt something I shouldn’t have because at that time she had her partner and I had Vanessa," he said. "It all started with that kiss in the shower."

Depp also claimed that he and Heard had more than just their on-screen kiss. While spending the evening together in Depp's dressing room, they 'shared a glass of wine and kisses,' the actor confessed, as per StyleCaster. Paradis may or may not have known about Depp's kiss with Heard throughout their relationship, but if she did, it would have likely been a major factor in their eventual breakup.

Nevertheless, it seems as though Paradis and Depp were able to maintain a positive co-parenting relationship. In 2016, when Depp was facing claims of domestic violence, Paradis came out in support of her ex-lover. She penned, "In all these years I have known Johnny, he has never been physically abusive with me, and this looks nothing like the man I lived with for 14 wonderful years." She added, "I have seen that these outrageous statements have been really distressing, and also caused damage to his career because unfortunately, people have gone on believing these false facts."

This article originally appeared 1 year ago.