Actor Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis arrive on the red carpet for the 100th anniversary of Swiss watch and luxury goods maker Montblanc at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland in this April 5, 2006, file photo. Depp has separated from his partner of 14 years, French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis, a representative for the actor said on June 19, 2012.DENIS BALIBOUSE/Reuters
Celebrity breakups are so common these days that most are just met with a shrug. But the news that Hollywood's favourite pirate and his gapped-toothed French partner of 14 years has come as a blow to romantics around the world.
Indeed, you could say that Johnny Depp has lost his Vanessa Paradis.
On Tuesday, Depp's publicist Robin Baum confirmed the split to Entertainment Tonight and Agence France Presse.
"Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children," she said.
The couple never married but had two children together, ages 10 and 13. Mr. Depp was married for two years in the early 80s to Lori Anne Allison, but his previous romances with Winona Ryder and Kate Moss helped secure his heartthrob status pre-Paradis.
Their adieu, however, does not come out of the blue. In an interview with French television channel Canal Plus last January, Ms. Paradis denied split speculation, rambling on that people are always drawing false conclusions about her private life. "This rumour can hurt my family and my children. And of course the rumour is untrue."
Mr. Depp also spoke out about the rumours just last month.
Unlike other celebrity couples whose trips to the grocery store and runs on the beach are tracked like weather patterns, Ms. Paradis and Mr. Depp (39 and 49, respectively) managed to keep a low profile.
Ms. Paradis recently starred in Café de Flore, a movie set in Montreal and Paris, from Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée. Most recently, Mr. Depp appeared as an 18th century vampire thrown into life in the 1970s in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows.
Rebecca Leffler, France correspondent with The Hollywood Reporter, told Hot Button that it's too early to tell whether the split will have any professional impact on the stars. "They were definitely a power couple so it will be interesting to see how the breakup affects their respective careers in terms of box office for their films and, in Paradis' case, concert tickets sold."
On Twitter, the reaction so far has ranged between sympathy and bittersweet anticipation that both are back on the market. Unsurprisingly – and to some extent, appallingly – people are already eager for Depp to find a new mate.
Amy Verner