'Six years later the Jury gave me my life back', Johnny Depp says after victory

Johnny Depp's life had been turned upside down since Amber Heard showed up to the court with a huge mark on her face on 27 May 2016 and issued a restraining order against him while he was on a Euro tour.

Since then, Depp's reputation was further tainted by The Sun's article where the actor was labelled as a "wife-beater", followed by Amber Heard's Op-ed for the Washington Post where she inferred she was abused by Johnny Depp, without ever mentioning his name in the piece.

After the verdict was declared in the most recent trial, Depp published a statement celebrating the victory of the widely-watched defamation case in which he won more than $10 million in damages on Wednesday. The Jury also favoured Amber Heard to some extent as they ruled for Heard on one counterclaim against Depp. 

Read Johnny's first public statement below: 

"Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed.

"All in the blink of an eye. False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already travelled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career.

"And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled.

"My decision to pursue this case, knowing very well the height of the legal hurdles that I would be facing and the inevitable, worldwide spectacle into my life, was only made after considerable thought.

"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that.

"I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world. I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media."