Yesterday, the news broke that Johnny Depp had won the multi-million defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages after weeks of battling it out in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia.

Now, the 58-year-old actor has taken to Instagram to reflect on his legal victory in a lengthy statement in which he says he feels "truly humbled" by the verdict which has given him his life back.

"Six years ago, my life, the life of my children, the lives of those closest to me, and also, the lives of the people who for many, many years have supported and believed in me were forever changed. All in the blink of an eye," Depp began. He was referring to Heard's 2018 Washington Post 0p-ed, in which she claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse - and which Depp claimed ruined his reputation and his career.

"False, very serious and criminal allegations were levied at me via the media, which triggered an endless barrage of hateful content, although no charges were ever brought against me. It had already traveled around the world twice within a nanosecond and it had a seismic impact on my life and my career," the star continued.

Reflecting on yesterday's verdict, he added: "And six years later, the jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled."

Depp went on to say that he felt he owed it to his children - Lily-Rose, 23, and Jack, 20 - to "reveal the truth" by pursuing the case against his ex-wife.

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"From the very beginning, the goal of bringing this case was to reveal the truth, regardless of the outcome. Speaking the truth was something that I owed to my children and to all those who have remained steadfast in their support of me. I feel at peace knowing I have finally accomplished that," he wrote.

The star then thanked his loyal fans for their love and support, saying: "I am, and have been, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and the colossal support and kindness from around the world."

"I hope that my quest to have the truth be told will have helped others, men or women, who have found themselves in my situation, and that those supporting them never give up. I also hope that the position will now return to innocent until proven guilty, both within the courts and in the media," he added.

Towards the end of his statement, Depp paid tribute to his legal team, the judge, and the jurors who had worked on the case.

"I wish to acknowledge the noble work of the Judge, the jurors, the court staff and the Sheriffs who have sacrificed their own time to get to this point, and to my diligent and unwavering legal team who did an extraordinary job in helping me to share the truth," he wrote.

[[imagecaption|| Johnny Depp talks with his attorney Ben Chew at Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Virginia, U.S., May 19, 2022. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy.]]

He concluded by promising that the best is yet to come, then signed off with a Latin phrase - "veritas numquam perit" - which means "truth never perishes."

Jurors deliberated for around 14 hours before ruling unanimously that Heard has "acted with actual malice" when she defamed her ex-husband.

They did side with Heard on one of her three counterclaims, though, awarding her $2 million by the jury in compensatory damages.

Featured Image Credit: Sipa US / Alamy

Johnny Depp reacts to winning defamation trial against Amber Heard in lengthy statement