Johnny Depp pictured cuddling a badger after surprise visit to wildlife rescue centre
Johnny Depp has been pictured cuddling a badger at a rescue centre in Kent after winning his multimillion dollar defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.
Depp, 58, visited Folly Wildlife Rescue near Tunbridge Wells on a “recent break” from his guest appearances on rock star Jeff Beck’s UK tour.
Beck’s wife Sandra decided to take the Pirates of the Caribbean star to the animal centre in between gigs, staff said on Facebook.
It comes after he won a defamation case against his ex-wife over a 2018 Washington Post article in which she claimed she had experienced years of violent abuse.
Depp was awarded £15m in damages, capped to $10.35m as a result of legal limits, but made to pay $2m of it to Heard after she won one of her counter lawsuits.
A spokesperson for Folly Wildlife Rescue said that Depp had been “blown away” by his tour of “the hospital’s care and vet units” and was given the chance to cradle Freddie – an orphaned badger currently being looked after at the centre.
They wrote on social media: “Guess who’s been to see us at Folly Wildlife Rescue – no you’re not seeing things – that’s the real Johnny Depp!
“Johnny was incredibly complementary and in his own words ‘blown away’ by what he saw.
“To top the visit off, we even allowed him the rare privilege of briefly holding Freddie (as in Mercury!) one of the many orphaned badger cubs we’re currently hand rearing – and I think it’s fair to say he was bowled over by the whole experience!”
Read more:
Amber Heard to appeal as Depp seen at Newcastle pub
Week-by-week account of Depp-Heard trial
Depp has made several surprise appearances around the UK while on tour with Beck, who is a patron of the Kent rescue centre.
He was not in court in Virginia to hear the jury rule in his favour and was instead spotted at a pub in Newcastle.
A spokesperson for Heard told NBC News after the trial that she plans to appeal the verdict.