Where Amber Heard is now amid ex Johnny Depp's return to Hollywood for the first time since their infamous trial

Amber Heard took a different path amid Johnny Depp's return to Hollywood for the first time since the pair's infamous defamation trial in 2019.

The long-winded court case came about after Heard claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse in an op-ed piece for the Washington Post in 2018.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star wasn't explicitly named in the piece. However, Depp brought a defamation case against Heard in 2019, alleging that his ex-wife had claimed that he'd 'perpetrated domestic violence against her', calling it 'categorically and demonstrably false' (via The Independent).

Heard then counter-sued against Depp to $100 million, adding even further media coverage to the trial.

Ultimately, in 2022, a jury found in favour of both Depp's original suit, awarding Depp $10.35 million in damages while Heard received $2 million after winning one of her three counter-claims against her ex.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp were locked in a bitter legal battle from 2019 to 2022 (JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Since the trial's conclusion, Heard has very much lived a private life and moved to Madrid with her daughter, who she welcomed in 2021 via a surrogate.

The actor had previously been seen in a small village in Mallorca living under a pseudonym, with her IMDb page not having listed any recent film credits since Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in 2023.

According to People Magazine, she then moved from Mallorca to Madrid, with a TikTok video of the actor, who is fluent in Spanish, telling reporters that she 'loves living' in Spain.

A source close to the outlet reported in November 2022 that Heard 'is able to just be a mom there. She is focused on raising her daughter. She spends every day with her girl.

"They stroll around, visit parks and enjoy family time. Amber is a great mom."

Heard pictured in Madrid in December last year (Francisco Guerra/Europa Press via Getty Images)

The actor is also expecting her second child, with a rep for the 38-year-old telling People in December last year: "It is still quite early in the pregnancy, so you will appreciate that we do not want to go into much detail at this stage.

"Suffice to say that Amber is delighted both for herself and Oonagh Paige."

Meanwhile, Depp has since returned to Hollywood following the trial in the form of Day Drinker, which tells the story of a bartender who works aboard a private yacht, bumping into a mystery onboard guest alongside a criminal figure.

Depp stars as the mysterious onboard guest in the film, with a first image of the actor in character showing him wearing a navy suit and light blue shirt.

He'd previously returned to the big screen for the film Jeanne du Barry, as well as directing his own film about Italian artist, Amedeo Modigliani, called Modi.

The Edward Scissorhands star ended up visiting Spain to promote the movie, with Heard later revealing her thoughts about his visit.