Following a night out in Newcastle toasting his $15 million lawsuit triumph over Amber Heard, Johnny Depp is gearing up to take the stage in Gateshead as part of Jeff Beck’s tour.
Crowds of fans gathered outside the Hilton hotel in the north-eastern town earlier this afternoon, where the actor is said to be staying, before he was seen arriving at The Sage, where he will perform tonight and for the duration of Beck’s UK tour.
It comes after Depp was granted $15 million in damages by jurors yesterday, following six weeks of testimony in a tumultuous defamation dispute with his ex-wife.
Depp celebrated his triumph with a night out in Newcastle, as he shocked locals by turning up to a quayside pub, along with rock guitarist Beck and fellow musician Sam Fender.
The landlady at The Bridge Tavern revealed the actor tucked into a traditional British fish and chips, washed down with a bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale, before charming staff by passing on some parenting advice to a pregnant barmaid.
Onlookers said he thoroughly enjoyed his dinner at the pub, where a portion of ale-battered fish, triple-cooked chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce costs £14.
The meal is clearly a regular hit with customers, with one Tripadvisor review stating: ‘Round up all of the Fish and Chip shop owners in the North East, treat them to easily the best beer battered Fish, Chips, Mushy Pes and Tartar Sauce north of Whitby and show them how it’s done properly.’
Alongside his food, Depp drank a bottle of the city’s favourite Newcastle Brown Ale before also downing a pint of Guinness, bar staff said.
Recalling Depp’s visit last night, trainee assistant manager Naomi Holliday said: ‘I was on the day shift and it had been a normal day and he just waltzed in. He walked through the front door and sat on the table in the corner and had some scran.
‘He was drinking Brown Ale and had some food. He was really sweet and told us he’d never been to Newcastle before. He ordered fish and chips with his Brown Ale and he had a Guinness after that as well.’
Meanwhile, pregnant bar manager Lauren Whittington posed with the star as he touched her baby bump and passed on some parenting wisdom.
She told ITV: ‘He noticed I’m pregnant and was asking me how long I have left, then he was giving me some advice on nappies, lack of sleep, and the first few weeks of parenthood, saying it’ll be the greatest gift I ever receive and I won’t know love like it until I look into her eyes for the first time.
‘He was also talking about his kids, who are grown up now, and how magical being a parent is.
‘He left about an hour before the verdict and said he had a Zoom call about it, so we wished him luck and thanked him for being so kind, and he thanked us for having him.’
The star’s appearance sent social media wild as he shook hands with punters and thanked pub workers before leaving the venue.
Naomi, 22, added: ‘Sam Fender came in a couple hours afterwards which was mad. We didn’t have the heads up that they were coming so we ended up giving them the area upstairs.
‘Nobody was bothering Johnny inside, but there were some people waiting outside, which you can understand. ‘People were just excited he was here. I got to chat to him in the outside area. It wasn’t for long but it was nice.
‘He was asking about Newcastle because he had never been before and he was interested in the Tyne Bridge and the pub. He seemed genuinely interested and for him to come here was amazing.
‘There was no mention of the court case or anything like that. We are Geordies so we like to keep things casual. We probably won’t ever have another shift like that again. I’ve only ever seen actor Daniel Ryan in here before.
‘The whole thing was just so crazy but it was also fun. Everyone was in good spirits and the pub was busy which was good. He was the soundest bloke ever and was happy to stop and chat to people.
‘After we locked up last night I checked social media and it was crazy. I know he’s playing at the Sage tonight and who knows he might even come back!’
Depp yesterday declared he had ‘got his life back’ after it was ruled he was defamed in his libel case with Heard and was awarded millions in damages.
After less than three days of deliberation, the jury ruled in favor of all three of Depp’s defamation claims against Heard, finding that she had falsely accused him of domestic abuse.
The actor was awarded $15million – $10million in compensation and $5million in punitive damages.
Heard meanwhile won just one of her three countersuit claims, which related to statements made by Depp’s lawyer suggesting she and friends had trashed their apartment before calling the police out.
She was awarded $2million in compensatory damages out of the $100million she was seeking in her countersuit against her ex-husband and received zero dollars in punitive damages.
The judge later reduced Depp’s $5million punitive damages award to the Virginia maximum of $350,000, reducing Depp’s total to $10,350,000 – minus the $2million he was ordered to pay Heard, meaning Depp walks away from the case with $8.35million.
Heard said in a statement following the verdict: ‘The disappointment I feel today is beyond words. I’m heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence, and sway of my ex-husband.
‘I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women. It is a setback. It sets back the clock to a time when a woman who spoke up and spoke out could be publicly shamed and humiliated. It sets back the idea that violence against women is to be taken seriously.’
As she left court, Heard looked downcast while climbing into a truck with blacked out windows with her sister Whitney. A member of her legal team could be seen putting her hand on her back as she got in.
Heard’s spokesperson Alafair Hall told The New York Times she now plans to appeal the jury’s verdict, though it is not clear on what grounds she seeks to do so.
To be granted an appeal, Heard would likely need to demonstrate that there were errors in the trial, or in the presiding judge’s reading of the law.
She would also need to post bond of the full $10,350,000, plus interest charges over the course of an appeal trial.
Social media – which has been overwhelmingly pro-Depp throughout the duration of the trial – exploded in when the verdict was announced, with the hashtags #TruthWins and #JusticeForJohnny trending for hours.
Depp is expected to make an appearance on stage with Jeff Beck during his show at The Sage in Gateshead this evening.
