Why did Johnny Depp and Kate Moss break up?

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.

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.

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.”

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.