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The cheekbones are back. As is a languidly stylish and much shorter haircut.
And while Johnny Depp retains that trademark rough-cut and tattooed charm, the excessively scruffy – perhaps even grubby – look of recent months seems to be well past.
Friends explain that Depp had a sort of 'gap year' – actually more like two years – following his bruising 2022 court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
The Virigina court found in Depp's favor that Heard had defamed him on three counts with allegations of domestic abuse.
Though Heard won only one of her counter claims and sources say Depp felt euphoric at the verdict, the protracted trial clearly took its toll.
Depp largely disappeared from the limelight, grew his hair long and gained weight, while privately playing a lot of music (he is an accomplished guitarist) and dabbling in painting.
He travelled widely, including to Saudi Arabia, where he has stuck up surprising – if not controversial – friendships with the kingdom's royal family, who have since financially backing some of his film projects.
While Johnny Depp retains that trademark rough-cut and tattooed charm, the excessively scruffy - perhaps even grubby - look of recent months seems well past. (Pictured last year)
Friends explain that Depp had a sort of 'gap year' - actually more like two years - following his bruising 2022 court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard . (Pictured last week).
He has also spent months at a time on his $5 million private Caribbean island, Little Parrot Cay, holed up with select pals.
Double tragedy then came with the unexpected sudden death of two close friends.
He was at rock legend Jeff Beck's bedside when he passed away aged 78 in January last year. Sources described the pair as 'extremely close' and said that Depp had been left 'devastated' by Beck's death.
But there was little time for mourning as, just ten months later, The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan died after a long period of sickness. Depp – who has spoken warmly of his 'love' for MacGowan – helped carry the singer's casket at his funeral.
That both Beck and MacGowan had suffered very public battles with substance abuse was not lost on Depp, who – friends say – subsequently reassessed his own life.
Certainly, Depp's two-year marriage to Heard had been incredibly self-destructive, featuring heavy drinking and 'powders'.
Clearly, one friend says, it was time 'time for a change'.
Hence last week's 'new look', stepping out at the small London premier for his new French film, 'Jeanne Du Barry', showcasing his fitter and more clean-cut look.
I'm told he turned to Odile Gilbert – one of Paris's most famous hairdressers – to transform his wild tresses.
He has also lost a considerable amount of weight through a slow process of 'being more mindful, eating well and prioritizing his wellbeing,' sources say.
The timing of this makeover is no accident. Depp is due to appear in an upcoming Dior campaign, reprising his role as their top celebrity spokesman and face of their best-selling scent, Sauvage.
Depp hopes that his transformation will be fully 'complete' come the fall, with plans for big new commercial and film ventures.
Indeed, friends tease that fans might soon be able to get
