Dan Wootton apologises for part in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s ‘heartache’

Sat, 16 Mar, 2024 - 15:39

By Cormac Pearson, PA

Former GB News presenter Dan Wootton has apologised to actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for “contributing to their heartache” after an 2018 article in The Sun.

New Zealand-born Wootton became embroiled in a legal battle with Johnny Depp over the article while he was the newspaper’s executive editor.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star filed a libel claim against News Group Newspapers – the owner of The Sun – and a judge later ruled the content of the article was proven to be “substantially true”.

Why I want to say sorry to Johnny Depphttps://t.co/Puyv9xE64h pic.twitter.com/zVsfJc6M70

— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) March 15, 2024

Speaking in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Wootton apologised to the pair and his former employers.

“I don’t know what happened between Johnny and Amber… and, frankly, it was not my business to interfere,” he said.

“I greatly regret that I ever did.

“So today I’m sorry to both Johnny and Amber for contributing to their heartache.

“And to The Sun and its brilliant legal team for putting them in an unenviable position, too.

“Sometimes it’s only hitting rock bottom that allows you to re-evaluate decisions you’ve made in the past – and I’ve had the privilege to do that over the past few years and know I am a better journalist as a result.

Johnny Depp court case — Johnny Depp leaves the High Court in London following the final day of hearings in his libel case against the publishers of The Sun and its former executive editor,Dan Wootton (Yui Mok, PA)

In January 2021, Wootton announced he would be leaving his job as executive editor at The Sun, where he had previously edited the paper’s Bizarre column.

He worked as a presenter on GB News on his show Dan Wootton Tonight, before he was suspended from the channel following comments made by actor Laurence Fox on his programme about Ava Evans, the political correspondent for online news site Joe.

Wootton apologised after the show aired, saying: “I want to reiterate my regret over last night’s exchange with Laurence on GB News.”

He later left the station after media watchdog Ofcom found the comments made on the show broke broadcasting rules and started his own independent news channel.