Who among us hasn’t – in the wake of a bitter break-up – sworn off dating for good, romanticising a single life of solitude over the alternative of being coupled up with the wrong person?

For a while, we really thought that Johnny Depp was that way inclined. After all, it’s been two years since his almost career-ending defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard broke the internet for six weeks running, blurring the boundaries of real-life and entertainment as we watched their bitter feud play out in court via video-link, and heard every gruesome allegation each party levied against the other along the way. The details, which included claims of mental and physical abuse, drug use, self-harm and violence were bone-chilling, and certainly seemed to suggest that – no matter the outcome – both Johnny and Amber’s lives would be damaged forevermore. 

Still, in the end, it was ultimately Johnny who was ostensibly exonerated. The actor, who had sued his ex for defamation over an opinion article she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018, in which she alleged she was a domestic abuse victim (though she didn’t mention him by name) was awarded $15m in damages, with the jury unanimously agreeing she had in fact defamed him.

Meanwhile, a counter-suit filed by Amber found Johnny guilty of one claim of defamation against her, awarding her $2m in damages. All that is to say that, though Johnny was the ultimate victor, there were immense losses, nominally and physically, on both sides. Indeed, Johnny said as much during the trial, which was televised live to fans around the world from Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia, claiming that he’d lost, as a result of their mutually abusive relationship and subsequent war against one another, “Nothing less than everything.”
 
So, from where we were sitting, the idea of the actor having another romance in the public eye seemed as far-fetched and fantastical as his alter-ego, Captain Jack Sparrow, sailing off into the sunset with a ship full of gold. Some stories really do just happen in the movies.
 
Yet, earlier this month, the tables turned again, when it was revealed that Johnny, 61, was in fact dating model Yulia Vlasova – who, at 27, is 33 years his junior. The actor, who has been living a quiet life in Somerset, England over the past two years, is said to have first met Yulia at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in Prague in 2021, and – though they’re reportedly keeping things casual – they’ve been spotted looking very cosy indeed. Yulia, for her part, has hinted at the blossoming romance between them, posting a photo of the two of them with their hands on each other’s legs, and calling him, “A man who is incredibly talented and inspiring.” 

But while the actor has his army of die-hard fans, who Amber blamed for swaying public opinion against her, especially on social media during her and Johnny’s trial, there’s no denying that there have been some raised eyebrows in the wake of this new romance. Age gaps are nothing new in Hollywood – not least for Johnny, who has been older than every one of his significant others ever since he first coupled up with Winona Ryder when she was 17 and he was 27. He was 11 years older than his subsequent girlfriend, Kate Moss, and also had a 10-year age gap with Vanessa Paradis, his former partner of 14 years and the mother of his two children, Lily-Rose, 25, and Jack, 22. As for Amber, they had a 22-year age gap and were at very different stages of life and careers when they married in 2015. The actor acknowledged the disparity himself, previously saying, “I was the old, craggy fogey, and she was this beautiful creature.”

This age gap, however, is – for many – beyond the pale. As Johnny’s gotten older, the age gaps with his paramours have evidently gotten wider, too. How, in the wake of everything we heard about him and Amber, can he involve himself with someone who, once again, has beauty and youth on her side, but is at a totally different stage of life and success to her much older and world-famous new boyfriend? That’s the question on everyone’s lips – not least Amber’s. According to sources close to the actress, who lives a quiet life now in Spain with her three-year-old daughter Oonagh, the actress is baffled by news of her ex’s new fling. We’re told she holds him fully to blame for ruining her prospects at a time when her career was just starting, and is sure he’ll do the same to anyone else who takes her place. Her message to Yulia? “Good luck – you’ll need it.”

“Seeing Johnny with Yulia brings back all sorts of terrible memories and regrets for Amber,” says an insider close to the now 38 year old, who finally settled her legal battles with Johnny in December 2022, saying her life was “destroyed” in the process. “She can’t help but wonder where her life and career would be right now if she’d never met him. For her, he’s the source of a huge amount of pain. She’s convinced he’ll do the same to anyone else he dates. A lot of her friends have pointed out how much Yulia looks like a younger version of Amber, which is just creepy, and she finds it pretty telling that he’s chosen a woman half his age. In her view, that’s just another clear sign he’s a walking red flag. She feels sorry for this young woman because she knows how charming Johnny is when he wants to be.”
 
As for Johnny, we’re told he’s nonplussed by what anyone thinks – his ex notwithstanding. As far as he’s concerned, our source says, “This is not a serious relationship,” and “he’s still insisting he’s very much a single man and open to meeting other women.”

Still, his recent choices in the love department suggest the actor hasn’t quite learnt his lesson when it comes to power imbalances, age gaps and flaunting his romances in the public eye. Given everything we’ve learned about Johnny and Amber’s toxic, sordid and mutually abusive marriage, it’s safe to say the actor isn’t shy in airing his dirty laundry in public. In fact, given the revelations we heard during the trial, which included physical mutilation, abuse and defecation, he truly has nothing to hide. 

So, it’s safe to say that, whether Johnny is serious about Yulia or not, he doesn’t care what the world or his ex-wife has to say on the matter and is evidently confident enough that his devoted fans will continue to support him, as they’ve done devotedly in the past. Yet there’s no denying that the optics aren’t great, and we can’t help but think that the actor would be better inclined to find someone more suited to his age and life experiences. Or, failing that, maybe he could get a pet or a new hobby. Just a suggestion.