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Inside Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's First Year of Marriage: They ''Understand One Another in a Way No One Else Ever Could''

Couple are celebrating their first anniversary today and, while year one has had its ups and downs, a source tells us the gorgeous couple are "stronger" in the long run

By Natalie Finn Feb 03, 2016 1:00 PMTags
Amber Heard, Johnny DeppFred Duval/Getty Images for BFI

One year later, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are going strong.

The unfairly gorgeous couple made it official one year ago today, marrying in a civil ceremony at home in front of a handful of family members days before they threw a larger—yet still intimate—wedding on Depp's island in the Bahamas.

While their courtship raised a few eyebrows at the time (news of their engagement broke in January 2014 just a couple of days after their first red carpet appearance together), they then waited another full year before swapping vows, another year to bond and nurture their relationship.

And now, as they mark their first wedding anniversary, it sounds as though these two remain the most kindred of spirits.

Overhaulin'

"I also have to thank my wife Amber for putting up with me, for living with all these characters, which can't be easy," Depp said while accepting the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival last month, referring to his variety of onscreen personae. "It's hard for me—it's got to be hard for her."

Perhaps, but we're hearing that, if anyone can handle that, it's his wife. A source tells E! News that their first year of marriage wasn't entirely smoothing sailing, but while their intense personalities can cause conflict, its that very passion that helps them work through the rough patches.

CBS

Our source tells us that Amber guessed at the time that Johnny was going to pop the question eventually, but she had no idea when or when, so the actual moment came as a complete surprise. Some months prior to their wedding, Johnny introduced his kids, Lily-Rose and Jack, to Amber and they took a trip to visit her family in Austin, Texas.

At 52, Johnny is a generation older than 29-year-old Amber, but she's "very much an old soul," the source says.

"We connect on a lot of levels but the first things that really got me was she's an aficionado of the blues," Depp told E! News in December at the L.A. premiere of Heard's latest movie, The Danish Girl. "I would play a song, some old obscure blues song, and she knew what it was." The Black Mass star added, "She's very, very literate. She's a voracious reader as I have been, so we connected on that as well and she's kind of brilliant and beautiful.

"I'm a very lucky man."

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Well! Is it getting warm in here...?

Not uncommonly, having such a fierce connection and similar personalities leads to both happiness and a fair amount of butting heads. Sure enough, this past year hasn't been without its issues, though for the most part they sound like typical married people.

Their respective strong personalities cause some friction, and they're both stubborn, our source explains. Neither one likes to admit fault and being overly dramatic doesn't help when they disagree. But then there's that undeniable chemistry...

AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Overall, the insider continues, like many couples they've had their ups and downs, but they've worked through the downs "and are stronger because of it."

They've also had to maintain a strong front in the face of occasional rumors that their marriage is in trouble, a headline that's been dogging them in one form or another practically since day one. "I try not to react to the horrible misrepresentation of our lives, but it is strange, and hard," Amber admitted in the December issue of Marie Claire.

They certainly aren't the first famous couple, nor will they be the last, to find themselves under the microscope. In the meantime, all they can do is live the life that's actually taking place for them.

Johnny and Amber are both "very independent" and enjoy their space, and another reason that their marriage works is that "they let each other be their own person," the source continued. But they also "understand one another in a way no one else ever could. They're both supportive of one another and push each other to be better people."

And perhaps most importantly, they're there for each other. Our source concluded, "They're in a good place right now and are excited for the future."