Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard announces birth of baby girl

Johnny Depp’s ex-wife Amber Heard has stunned fans with news she has welcomed her first child, a baby girl.

Amber Heard has stunned fans with her announcement today that she has welcomed her first child.

The US actress, 35, revealed the birth of her baby girl, just months after ex-husband Johnny Depp lost his libel case involving her.

A source exclusively told Page Six on Thursday that Heard is “beyond in love” with her daughter, whom she has named Oonagh Paige after her late mother, Paige.

Oonagh was born on April 8 with the help of a surrogate after Heard was told she would never be able to carry her own baby, friends revealed.

A source who knows the star said: “Oonagh is absolutely gorgeous and Amber is besotted. She always knew that she wanted to be a mum, and this is her greatest wish come true. She’s so grateful to the wonderful woman who helped bring Oonagh into her life.

“The most important thing for Amber is that she’s open about Oonagh’s birth,” the source continued. “There are so many women who feel they can’t talk about their fertility and are worried and embarrassed; Amber wants them to feel supported and realise that there are a multitude of ways to have a baby even if you have fertility issues.”

Heard confirmed the news herself today via Instagram, where she shared a photo of herself cradling Oonagh.

Amber Heard announces the birth of her baby girl. Picture: Instagram

“I’m so excited to share this news with you. Four years ago, I decided I wanted to have a child. I wanted to do it on my own terms,” she wrote. “I now appreciate how radical it is for us as women to think about one of the most fundamental parts of our destinies in this way. I hope we arrive at a point in which it’s normalised to not want a ring in order to have a crib.”

She added: “A part of me wants to uphold that my private life is none of anyone’s business. I also get that the nature of my job compels me to take control of this. My daughter was born on April 8, 2021. Her name is Oonagh Paige Heard. She’s the beginning of the rest of my life.”

Heard is currently in a relationship with cinematographer Bianca Butti, whom she has been dating since January 2020, but she made the decision to have a baby on her own some time ago and is “proud” to be Oonagh’s sole legal parent.

The activist is next set to film Aquaman 2, in which she plays Atlantean princess Mera opposite Jason Momoa in the title role.

The birth of Heard’s baby is particularly poignant, friends say, as she lost her own mum in May 2020 at the age of 63, saying at the time that she was “heartbroken and devastated beyond belief”.

The star’s mum’s death came just weeks before she faced Depp, 58, in London’s High Court in a three-week trial in July last year.

She gave evidence against the Pirates of the Caribbean star, who eventually lost his libel case against The Sun newspaper over an article that labelled him a “wife beater”.

RELATED: Petition to kick Amber Heard off Aquaman 2 gains 1.5 million signatures

Amber Heard at Johnny Depp’s libel case against The Sun in London last year. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Johnny Depp lost his libel case against the Sun newspaper. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The judge found that Depp had assaulted Heard on a dozen occasions and put her in “fear for her life” three times.

Speaking after the case, Heard said: “After obtaining a restraining order in 2016 and finalising my divorce, I just wanted to move on with my life. I did not file this lawsuit and, despite its significance, I would have preferred not to be here in court.

“It has been incredibly painful to relive the break-up of my relationship, to have my motives and my truth questioned, and the most traumatic and intimate details of my life with Johnny shared in court and broadcast to the entire world. I stand by my testimony, and I now place my faith in British justice.”

In April, Depp asked the Court of Appeal to grant permission for him to challenge the High Court’s ruling in a bid to get a retrial.

Depp’s lawyers attempted to claim that Heard had failed to donate her $US7 million ($A9.3 million) divorce settlement to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, as she had promised, but the court refused permission for Depp to appeal.

A source close to Depp told Page Six: “The judge thought she was this wonderful human being standing up for mankind,” because of her supposed generosity, “but she was lying out of her a** [about the donations].”

RELATED: Amber Heard details ‘hostage situation’ with Depp in Australia

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were married in 2015 before splitting in 2017. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft confirmed her client had yet to fulfil the charity pledge she made, but insisted: “Amber has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfil her pledge.

“However, Amber has been delayed in that goal because Mr Depp filed a lawsuit against her, and consequently, she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending Mr Depp’s false accusations against her.”

The pair are set to face a US court next April as Depp is suing Heard over a 2018 Washington Post opinion piece in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse but did not mention the actor by name.

The source who knows Heard added: “For now, all that matters to Amber is Oonagh and raising a healthy and strong daughter.”

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission