Amber Heard has revealed she became a mother earlier this year, welcoming baby daughter Oonagh Paige Heard in April, about five years on from her bitter break up with Johnny Depp.
The Hollywood star shared the news via an Instagram post showing Oonagh Paige sleeping on her chest, and while she did not detail specifics about the baby's conception, US media outlets report the child was born via a surrogate.
"I'm so excited to share this news with you. Four years ago, I decided I wanted to have a child. I wanted to do it on my own terms," Heard wrote.
"I now appreciate how radical it is for us as women to think about one of the most fundamental parts of our destinies in this way. I hope we arrive at a point in which it's normalised to not want a ring in order to have a crib."
The Aquaman star said part of her wanted to keep the information about her private life out of the public eye, but recognised that the "nature of her job" compelled her to "take control" of the news.
"She's the beginning of the rest of my life," Heard wrote of her 3-month-old.
Heard and Depp were married in 2015, but divorced two years later amid a flurry of domestic abuse accusations from both parties that prompted extensive legal battles that raged on until as recently as last year.
Heard began dating cinematographer Bianca Butti in January last year, but is "proud" to be Oonagh's sole parent, according to Page Six.
A source close to the star reportedly told the tabloid: "Oonagh is absolutely gorgeous, and Amber is besotted. She always knew that she wanted to be a mom, and this is her greatest wish come true. She's so grateful to the wonderful woman who helped bring Oonagh into her life."
The insider added that Heard was keen to help other women feel supported when talking about fertility issues and share the knowledge that there are many ways to have a baby.
Heard named her child in part after her late mother Paige Parsons, who died at the age of 63 in May last year, leaving Heard, in her own words, "heartbroken and devastated beyond belief".
