Johnny Depp Loved Winona Ryder More Than Himself Before His Affair With Amber Heard

Talk about falling madly, deeply, and hopelessly in love! Actor Johnny Depp knows this feeling too well. Back in the nineties, Depp was crazy in love with his Edward Scissorhands co-star Winona Ryder. The former couple locked eyes at the 1989 New York premiere of Great Balls of Fire. 

Before Amber Heard entered Depp's life, the 60-year-old actor was absolutely inseparable from the Stranger Things actress. At the time, the duo was the hottest couple who embarked on a romantic passionate endeavor for four years, reported The Mirror. However, some love stories die unfortunate deaths, and theirs did too. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor saw Ryder in New York, and sparks flew immediately. The two were introduced to each other by a mutual friend, and the cupid struck hard. Apparently, the Beetlejuice actress was still a 'teenager,' barely 17, to be precise, and he was 26 years old. It was love and only love.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Depp had publicly declared his unfathomable love for Ryder, implying that he couldn't imagine his life without her. "There's been nothing in my 27 years that's comparable to the feeling I have with Winona… I love her so much," confessed the actor, per The News. 

"I don't know what I would do without her. I love that girl. I love her almost more than I love myself," he added. His paramour professed her love for him as well. She revealed he was her "first everything."

"When I met Johnny, I was a pure virgin. He changed that. He was my first everything. My first real kiss. My first real boyfriend. My first fiancé. The first guy I had sex with," declared Ryder. The ex-flames remained engaged for three years until, finally, the two broke the ties in 1993 and left their fans in utter shock.

Depp graciously accepted that it was because of his mistakes that the relationship couldn't survive before they called it quits. The actress was devastated by the breakup as well, and if reports are to be believed, she even struggled with depression for a long time. A Nightmare on Elm Street actor had a tattoo, "Winona Forever," which he tweaked after their split. 

Depp joked, "To have the tattoo removed or erase it is to try and say it never happened. If I alter it in some way – make it funny – put her next boyfriend's name on top of it, say – it would still be honest." However hard, the two gradually moved on.

Despite their split, they remained on good terms with each other. When Heard filed a case against Depp for domestic violence, Ryder submitted a statement in the case as a witness during the divorce trial. Her statement was pivotal to the case verdict. She stated, "The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. I cannot wrap my head around these accusations." She was upset, confused, and shocked about the false allegations by Heard.  

Her statement added, "He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen." Ryder continued, "I do not want to call anyone a liar, but from my experience of Johnny, it is impossible to believe that such horrific allegations are true."

"I find it extremely upsetting, knowing him as I do," she concluded. 

References: 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/heartbroken-johnny-depp-sobbed-over-22930490

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/663280-johnny-depp-was-head-over-heels-in-love-with-winona-ryder-before-amber-heard

https://people.com/celebrity/johnny-depp-and-winona-ryder-their-romance-and-relationship/