Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Celebrity News

    Why did Johnny Depp and Kate Moss break up?

    Jenny Proudfoot's avatar
    By Jenny Proudfoot
    Published 10 May 2022 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    (Image credit: WireImage)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Johnny Depp’s defamation trial has been in progress since 11 April, with Depp suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

    Depp is asking Heard for $50 million (£38.7 million) in damages, arguing that she defamed him in an op-ed that she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, entitled: “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”. Heard is counter-suing him for $100 million (£79.5 million).

    While recounting an alleged fight with Depp and her sister Whitney on a staircase during her testimony last week, Heard referenced his previous relationship with supermodel Kate Moss.

    “[Whitney] threw herself in the line of fire,” Heard recalled of the alleged 2015 incident between Depp and her sister. “She was trying to get Johnny to stop. Her back was to the staircase, and Johnny swings at her… I don’t hesitate and wait. I instantly think of Kate Moss and stairs.”

    As Heard likened the alleged fight to a rumour about Depp pushing Moss down the stairs during their relationship, Johnny Depp’s lawyers appeared to celebrate.

    You may like
    • Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused. Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    • Black-and-white photo of a person walking past a Cornell University stone sign, with their face obscured by a teal scribble. What the Morning After a Sexual Assault On Campus Really Looks Like
    • Side view of a woman sitting in her bedroom - negative emotion - stock photo Their Children Were Taken Into Care. Who Was Looking After the Mothers?

    It is believed that his legal team will have evidence to refute the claims, with this expected to be made clear at the cross examination next week.

    The mention of Moss however has sent her name back into the headlines, with the public eager to know more about her relationship with Depp, and the nature of their break up.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Getty Images

    Why did Johnny Depp and Kate Moss break up?

    Johnny Depp and Kate Moss famously dated from 1994 to 1997, after being introduced by celebrity columnist George Wayne. And while they were one of the ‘IT’ couples of the ‘90s, their relationship certainly had its ups and downs, with reports of arguments and criminal arrests. The couple eventually split in 1997, with Depp citing youth and stupidity as the reason for their break up, explaining that he let his work get in the way of his relationship with Moss.

    “I have never got that emotional over a woman before,” Depp explained in a 1998 interview. “I have been so stupid because we had so much going for our relationship. I’m the one who has to take responsibility for what happened - I was difficult to get on with, I let my work get in the way and I didn’t give her the attention I should have done.”

    He continued: “The whole thing was crazy because I should never have got so worked up over what people had to say about my work. Sure I should care about my movies, but when I get home I should try to leave that stuff behind. I couldn’t do that and I was horrific to live with. Trust me, I’m a total moron at times.”

    What to read next
    • Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    • Beauty Moodboard SS27 ’90s Kate Moss, Stevie Nicks and “Digital” Skin—The Beauty References to Inspire You for the Season Ahead
    • Why We Hold Onto Things From Our Past: A Collection of Sentimental Keepsakes, Old Photographs and Letters Why Is It So Hard to Throw Away Things From Our Past?

    Moss has also opened up about their relationship and split in the past, speaking candidly about it in a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair.

    “There’s nobody that’s ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit,” she explained. “I believed what he said. Like if I said, ‘What do I do?,’ he’d tell me. And that’s what I missed when I left. I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust.”

    Neither Johnny Depp or Kate Moss have ever spoken publicly about the rumoured “staircase” incident.

    Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's defamation trial is ongoing.

    Jenny Proudfoot
    Jenny Proudfoot
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Features Editor

    Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

    In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.

    Read more
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    Black-and-white photo of a person walking past a Cornell University stone sign, with their face obscured by a teal scribble.
    Life What the Morning After a Sexual Assault On Campus Really Looks Like
     
     
    Side view of a woman sitting in her bedroom - negative emotion - stock photo
    Life Their Children Were Taken Into Care. Who Was Looking After the Mothers?
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
     
     
    Latest in Celebrity News
    Olivia Rodrigo performing on stage in a babydoll dress that sparked online debate, later prompting the singer to speak out about the sexualisation of girlhood and double standards facing young women.
    Celebrity News “We Really Normalise Pedophilia in Our Culture”: What Olivia Rodrigo's Babydoll Dress Backlash Reveals About Girlhood
    Meghan Markle in 'With Love, Meghan'
    Celebrity News Meghan Markle’s Sweet Glimpse Into Sussex Family Life Is Going Viral
     
     
    Anne Hathaway attends the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2
    Celebrity News Anne Hathaway Has Spoken Out About Her 10-Year Health Battle
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
     
     
    Latest in News
    Jeans And Jackets
    Shopping Celine Dion, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sarah Pidgeon Swear by This Trophy Jacket-and-Jeans Formula for Instant Fashion Confidence
    Vogue World Robots
    Fashion AI Is Shaping the Future of Fashion—Can Creative Thought Survive?
     
     
    New Beauty Launches Romilly Wilde / Cécred / Bobbi Brown
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Cécred Comes to the UK, Romilly Wilde Returns & £22 Skincare Gets Serious
    The Beauty Digest: New Products to Know
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: A Foundation With Infinite Shades, Diptyque Does Bodycare, and the Exhibition Every Beauty Lover Should See
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.