Despite months of rumours about difficulties in their relationship, the break up of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis after 14 years has still come as a shock to Hollywood and fans of the golden couple.What was thought to be a rock solid romance began to unravel with their recent relocation to LA.After years spent bringing up their young family in France away from the limelight, they had moved to Tinseltown and enrolled their two children, nine-year-old, Jack, and 13-year-old daughter, Lily Rose in school.
"They bet that things would continue there as they had in the south of France. They lost that bet," a friend told the Sun.
"She went seven years between albums and films, while he became Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates films. "The swashbuckling saga raised Johnny's profile and made him one of Hollywood's wealthiest stars, worth an estimated £200 million.Meanwhile, Vanessa appeared to put her career on the backburner to concentrate on their children.
Sources close to the couple said they tried for months to work things out, but ultimately realised it was best to go their separate ways.
After months of denials a publicist for the actor said in a statement that the two "have amicably separated" and requested privacy for their children.The announcement was apparently carefully timed to coincide with the beauty's trip to France, where she is promoting her film Je Me Suis Fait Tout Petit.There have numerous reports that the pair have been living separate lives for a while - though the Hollywood actor denied they had split last month on the red carpet at the unveiling of his Tim Burton film Dark Shadows.Vanessa had also dismissed the reports as "rumours" during radio and TV appearances.Johnny, 49, and 39-year-old Vanessa met in 1998 but never married.
