Johnny Depp’s Ex Vanessa Paradis Finds His Amber Heard Case ‘Distressing’—Here’s If She’s on His Side
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As his trial with ex-wife Amber Heard continues to unfold, many are curious to know if Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are still on good terms. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor famously dated the French model and singer for 14 years and share two children together, sparking questions about where they stand today.
Depp and Paradis met for the first time in 1994, when the What’s Eating Gilbert Grape actor was dating Kate Moss. Their first meeting was brief, and it wasn’t until 1998 that the pair would reunite. At the time, Depp ran into Paradis while in a hotel lobby in the singer’s home country of France. It was the sight of none other than her back that drove Depp into a frenzy: “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,” Depp told The Daily Mail in 2011. The Sweeney Todd actor made an even earlier mention of the fated moment in a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, when he told the magazine, “Whammo, man, across the room, amazing, incredible, awesome. The Back, the Back!”
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The pair quickly struck up a real relationship, and just shortly after being together for a year, they welcomed their first child together: daughter Lily-Rose Depp, who was born in May 1999 in her mother’s native France. Three years later, Depp and Paradis completed their family with the birth of their son, John “Jack” Christopher Depp III. But their relationship wasn’t built to last. In 2012, the pair announced that they broke up. Depp’s publicist confirmed that he and Paradis had “amicably separated,” in a statement released to Entertainment Tonight at the time, adding, “Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children.”
Later that year, Paradis played coy when asked about their split. “I don’t want to talk about him. Who said that artists should sell their soul, expose everything about themselves?” she said in an interview with French Elle while promoting her film Cornouaille, in a quote excerpted by People. “It’s my duty to promote this movie, and my albums, but can you imagine what it feels like to see people making a business out of your pain.”
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Just weeks later, however, Paradis offered a glimmer of an explanation for their split. “Nothing is ever for sure, but when something in love doesn’t work from the beginning, it’s never going to work,” she said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. “Don’t push it. Sometimes you could be in an unhappy relationship; you are very much in love with someone, but it’s making you unhappy and you think things can change and you can work it out.”
Depp, for his part, hinted at distance being a major stressor in their relationship. “Relationships are very difficult. Especially in the racket that I’m in because you’re constantly away or they’re away and so it’s hard. It wasn’t easy on her. It wasn’t easy on me. It wasn’t easy on the kids,” he told Rolling Stone in 2013. “The trajectory of that relationship – you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. So for whatever reason that ceases, it doesn’t stop the fact that you care for that person, and they’re the mother of your kids, and you’ll always know each other, and you’re always gonna be in each other’s lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it.”
But that optimistic response was years ago—and much has transpired since. Depp went on to marry actress Amber Heard in 2015 after several years of dating. By 2016, Heard filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against the actor, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse during their relationship. Depp and Heard have been battling it out in court ever since, leading many to wonder what Paradis makes of these heinous allegations against her ex. Keep on reading ahead for her take.
What was Vanessa Paradis’ reaction to Amber Heard’s allegations?
After British newspaper published an article calling Depp a “wife-beater,” the actor filed a libel lawsuit and went to trial with the UK publisher in 2020. At the time, British courts accepted written testimonies from Depp’s former partners, Winona Ryder and Paradis, to be considered as part of the actor’s libel claim against The Sun’s publishers. Neither ended up being called to provide evidence in the trial, but they both described all allegations of domestic violence against Depp as unbelieveable.
“I have known Johnny for 25 years. We have been partners for 14 years and we raised our two children together. Through all these years I’ve known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father,” Paradis shared in her May 2020 statement. “On movie sets the actors, directors and entire crews adore him because he is humble and respectful to everyone, as well as being one of the best actors we’ve seen.”
She continued, “I am aware of the allegations which Amber Heard has publicly accused Johnny of for more than four years now. This is nothing like the true Johnny I have known, and from my personal experience of many years, I can say he was never violent or abusive to me.”
Paradis went on to describe Heard’s domestic violence allegations as “outrageous” and “really distressing”—not only for Depp’s career, but for their family as well. “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,” she concluded. “This is so upsetting as he has helped so many persons in his personal and professional life with kindness and generosity.”
Despite Paradis’ comments, Depp ultimately lost his bid against the U.K. publisher when a High Court ruled against him in November 2020. It remains to be seen if the actor’s 2022 trial in the U.S. will result in the same fate—and whether Paradis still feels the same. Based on her earlier statement, however, it’s likely that Depp’s ex is still on his side today.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) for confidential support.
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