It’s a bittersweet day for fans of Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands. Johnny Depp, 49 year-old actor and cross-generational heartthrob, has split with his girlfriend of 14 years and baby mama, French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis. While we can’t help but appreciate the glimmer of hope that Depp’s newly single status has provided us, we’re sad to see such a grounded, happy Hollywood couple call it quits.
“Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated,” Depp’s rep said in a statement that was released to Entertainment Tonight, proving that the couple has maintained its classy reputation despite the division (unlike some other couples… ahem, Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries). While it’s unclear exactly what caused the split, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Rumors of tension between the two surfaced in both January and May of this year, but both Paradis and Depp denied that a break-up was imminent. The recent buzz about a romantic link between Depp and his Rum Diaries co-star Amber Heard undoubtedly put a strain on the relationship; even if the infidelity rumors were untrue, the speculation likely exacerbated any problems the couple was already experiencing.
Depp and Paradis never said “I do,” so don’t expect to see any nasty divorce negotiations revealed in the tabloids. The couple has remained committed since 1998 and has two children, daughter Lily-Rose, 13, and son Jack, 10, who Depp says have given him “real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything.”
“I love the romance of ‘let’s get married,'” Paradis said of the couple’s decision not to wed in a past interview with Elle, according to People. “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.”
Barring a reunion of epic romance proportions, it doesn’t look like Paradis and Depp will ever make those wedding vows. Fortunately for their children, the civil break-up seems to foreshadow a healthy and respectful rapport between the two parents. It’s unclear how the couple plans to split up its many properties, but if we were Paradis, we’d try to hold on to the villa in the south of France (though the private island in The Bahamas wouldn’t be so bad, either…).