Who Is Johnny Depp's Ex-Girlfriend? All About Joelle Rich
In September 2022, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Johnny Depp had started dating attorney Joelle Rich. "They are dating but it's not serious," the source said. Just two months later, however, news broke that the pair had split.
The two originally worked together during his 2020 U.K. libel trial, when the actor sued The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater." The court upheld the outlet's claims as being "substantially true" (and his ex-wife Amber Heard testified to back up the claims). In March 2021, his attempt to overturn the decision was overruled.
Rich was not on Depp's legal team for his subsequent Virginia defamation trial against Heard.
From her background as a lawyer to their split, here's everything to know about Joelle Rich.
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Getty; Shutterstock Johnny Depp; Joelle Rich
She's married but estranged from her husband
A source confirmed to PEOPLE that while Rich was married while dating Depp, she was estranged from her husband.
She's a mom
Additionally, Us Weekly (who first broke the story) reports that Rich is a mom, sharing two children with her estranged husband. She shared that in common with Depp, who has two children of his own, daughter Lily-Rose Depp and son Jack Depp, whom he shares with ex Vanessa Paradis.
STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP via Getty Joelle Rich hugs Camille Vasquez on May 16, 2022.
She showed up to support Johnny Depp during his recent trial
Though Rich was not on Depp's legal team for the Virginia defamation trial against Heard earlier this year, she did show up to support him, attending several proceedings inside the courtroom. Rich was also spotted hugging Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez inside the courtroom on May 16 and later was seen exiting the courthouse with Depp and his team on May 19.
She's based in the U.K.
Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Joelle Rich and Johnny Depp on May 3, 2022
Rich is based in London, where she is a partner at the international law firm Schillings, per her LinkedIn. According to her bio on the company website, Rich "helps individuals and families in the public eye protect their privacy and reputations" and has "expertise in libel, privacy and copyright disputes." She "works to defend [clients'] reputations against false and defamatory allegations in print, online and on social media."
She graduated from the University of Birmingham
Before working at Schillings, Rich studied at the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England, from 2003 to 2006, earning a degree in law. She later went BPP Law School in London from 2006 to 2007, where she studied legal practice course, per her LinkedIn.
She previously represented Meghan Markle
Depp isn't the only big name Rich has represented. Her firm previously represented Meghan Markle in a case against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday in 2021.
