Everything We Know About Amber Heard's Daughter
Actress Amber Heard has had a tough couple of years. She faced her mom's death, lost her public defamation case against her ex-husband Johnny Depp, and was ordered to pay him over $10 million in damages (via NPR). On top of having her personal life turned upside down, the 36-year-old has had to deal with intense public scrutiny. But there appears to be one area where the starlet is flourishing – motherhood.
After announcing the birth of her first baby girl Oonagh Paige Heard on Instagram, Heard has made it known that she is calling the shots when it comes to being a mom. In an interview with Today, the actress expressed relief about having the trial behind her and embracing her newest role as a parent, "I get to be a mom full-time, where I'm not having to juggle calls with lawyers," she said. Although the "Aquaman" star has successfully sheltered her daughter from the spotlight, she has shared a few glimpses into her life with Oonagh on social media. Here's what we know about Heard's daughter.
Amber Heard announced her daughter's birth on Instagram
Amber Heard was over the moon to announce the birth of her little girl, Oonagh Paige Heard. Like most celebrities, the actress opted to share the big news on social media. Although her daughter was born on April 8, 2021, the actress waited three months before posting a birth announcement on Instagram on July 1, 2021.
In the post, Heard expressed her excitement to be a mom and explained that she had decided to have a child four years prior and that it was her wish to complete the entire process on her own terms. "I hope we arrive at a point in which it's normalized to not want a ring in order to have a crib," she wrote on Instagram. "A part of me wants to uphold that my private life is none of anyone's business. I also get that the nature of my job compels me to take control of this."
Heard ended her Instagram post by describing her little girl as her future: "She is the beginning of the rest my her life," wrote Heard. The lengthy caption was accompanied by a sweet photo of Heard lying down on a bed with her eyes closed, her new baby asleep on her chest. The touching post was liked over 500,000 times by Heard's fans.
Oonagh was born via surrogate
In the absence of photos of a pregnant Amber Heard and the cryptic Instagram birth announcement posted by the actress, many have assumed that Heard's daughter came into the world via surrogate. "I wanted to do it on my own terms. 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," wrote Heard of her parenting journey.
Although the "Rum Diary star" has not yet come out to explicitly confirm the surrogacy process, a source close to Heard revealed that the film star turned to the help of a surrogate when she learned she would never be able to carry her own baby. "She [Amber] always knew that she wanted to be a mom, and this is her greatest wish come true," the source told Page Six. "She's so grateful to the wonderful woman who helped bring Oonagh into her life." According to the source, Heard has been in a relationship with cinematographer Bianca Butti since January 2020. Still, the actress decided to have a baby independently and is listed as Oonagh's sole legal parent (via Page Six).
Oonagh's name has a special meaning
What's in a name? A lot. In the case of Amber Heard's baby girl, all her names have special meanings. Her daughter's first name is Oonagh (pronounced "oo-nuh") means "lamb," and has Irish and Scottish origins, according to The Bump. Meanwhile, Oonagh's middle name is Paige, a tribute to Amber Heard's late mom, Patricia Paige Heard (née Parsons), who went by the name Paige.
The actress was very close to her mother, and in May 2020, she expressed her grief after losing her mom. "I am heartbroken and devastated beyond belief at the loss of my mom, Paige Heard," she wrote on Instagram. "She left us too early, clasping onto the memory of her beautiful, gentle soul. She will be missed from the very depths of our hearts forever." Heard's mom was born on October 1, 1956, in Midland, Texas. She married David Clinton Heard, and the couple moved to suburban Austin, where they raised their two daughters Amber and her sister Whitney. Paige died at 63, and her cause of death has never been publically revealed (via Marca). Oonagh's middle name is a loving nod to her late grandma.
Heard is raising Oonagh on her own
Heard felt disappointed that she could not control the outcome of her defamation trial against her ex-husband Johnny Depp in June 2022, which hit her hard. The single mom's marriage to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star was short-lived, but that didn't stop details of their personal lives from making their way out in the world, and sadly it was mainly Heard who had become the target of social media backlash. In an attempt to live a more low-key life, Heard has made it clear that she will take on motherhood alone.
On July 16, 2021, the 35-year-old star declared her independence as a sole parent by sharing a photo of herself and her daughter, Oonagh, on Instagram. In the post, Heard is pictured wearing glasses as she sat in front of a Macbook computer, with daughter Oonagh on her lap. The starlet captioned the photo: "I'm just the mom and the dad. She's the boss." Heard had also alluded to being a single parent in Oonagh's birth announcement, "I wanted to do it on my own terms. 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," she wrote on her Instagram page.
Oonagh's father's identity is unknown
Leaving much room for speculation, Heard has never revealed the identity of her baby girl's father or sperm donor. However, one rumor is that it is Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk. Although there is no evidence or confirmation that Musk is the father, the rumor was sparked by Musk and Heard's dating history. The actress dated the billionaire for a short period in 2017 before announcing their split. Musk confirmed their break up on social media, assuring fans the split was amicable. "Although Amber and I did break up, we are still friends, remain close, and love one another," Musk commented on one of Heard's Instagram posts in August 2017. "Long distance relationships, when both partners have intense work obligations are always difficult, but who knows what the future holds" (via People).
Musk's busy schedule has been cited as the reason the CEO chose to end the relationship. "Elon is working day and night. This is his life and he loves it. He is in no position to be in a relationship right now and ended it," a source told People. Elon Musk has never addressed rumors about being Oonagh Paige Heard's father, but according to Hello!, he is "thought to be close with Amber Heard and her daughter Oonagh."
The first six months of Oonagh's life were Heard's favorite
Having a child is an exciting time, and for Amber Heard, the arrival of her baby happened when she needed it the most. Since divorcing her ex-husband Johnny Depp and losing her mom, Amber Heard has faced some dark days. But luckily, the actress has shared that the light of her life has been her daughter, Oonagh. On October 8, 2021, the proud mom posted a photo on Instagram, carrying baby Oonagh on her lap. The joyful expression on Heard's face compliments her caption: "The six best months of my life, the first six months of hers."
Since Oonagh's arrival, Heard has taken to Instagram to post shots of daily life with her little girl, and the new mom is beaming with joy in every photo. On Oonagh's first birthday, Heard shared a celebration snap of herself sitting on the floor with Oonagh. The toddler was wearing jeans and playing with pink balloons. Heard captioned the photo, "My little O is a year old today. I still can't believe you're here. The greatest year."
Heard travels with Oonagh whenever she can
We all need a vacation when things get a bit too much, but when you're an A-list celebrity like Amber Heard, one is not enough. After losing her defamation trial case, the "Danish Girl" actress and her daughter have been spotted in the Hamptons, Israel, and Spain with her daughter, Oonagh, according to Page Six.
Changing diapers on the go and tantrums at restaurants are what most people picture when they think about traveling with a toddler, but Heard makes motherhood on-the-go look easy. The natural beauty has been shown looking relaxed and energized while on vacation with her active toddler. In September, Heard and her daughter were pictured in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. In a series of photos, Heard was spotted playing with her little girl on a swing set. Heard and Oonagh have been exploring the European city with Heard's girlfriend, Bianca Butti, and a group of friends, per Page Six.
Oonagh got a mention during Heard and Johnny Depp's trial
Amber Heard first met actor Johnny Depp in 2011 while filming "The Rum Diary." The pair started dating afterward and eventually married in February 2015. The marriage was short-lived, with Heard filing for divorce in May 2016. In a joint public statement released by the couple, their relationship was described as "intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love." Soon after, the pair were back in court to battle after Depp claimed his ex-wife defamed him in an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post (via NBC News).
Heard's daughter was brought up during the highly publicized trial when the actress told the court she wanted to move on with her life, "I have a baby. I have to move on. I want to move on, and I want Johnny to move on too," she pleaded, according to Hello! After losing the case on June 1, the actress again made it clear that she wanted to move past the long legal ordeal and be present with her little girl. True to her word, Heard has been focusing on being a present mom since the end of the grueling trial. After filing for bankruptcy in the United States (via Marca), Heard has been enjoying vacations and much-needed downtime with Oonagh.
Heard and Oonagh were based in Yucca Valley, California
Before losing her court battle against Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and her daughter, Oonah, lived in the remote location of Yucca Valley, California, a small town in the Mojave Desert. Heard had bought the beautiful Californian oasis for $570,000 in 2019 but decided to sell the property after her acquiring legal debt. According to New York Post, the three-bedroom, three-bathroom estate is on 6 acres of land in California and was sold off-market on July 18 for $1.05 million, leaving the actress with a hefty profit.
Heard has shared the occasional snap of the stunning Californian modern home on Instagram. In one post, the mom of one shared a picture of herself standing on a yoga mat and carrying Oonagh up in the air. The fit 36-year-old captioned the photo: "Dumbbells are for sissies," and showed off her home's high ceilings, wall-mounted television, electric fireplace, and high glass panel windows displaying a private garden. Since selling her Yucca Valley home, the starlet has been trying to escape the limelight. Heard and her little girl were living in Spain as of this writing.
Oonagh will be raised out of the spotlight
Although Amber Heard is now a household name, the actress prefers to raise her daughter away from the cameras and limits what the public sees when it comes to Oonagh. Apart from sharing a few social media posts about Oonagh, little is known about Heard's daughter. Even when Oonagh is pictured with her mom, her face is never been fully seen since she was a baby.
Right from Oonagh's birth, Heard has made it clear that she will raise her outside the limelight. The actress rarely talks about her little girl in interviews and has not revealed the identity of Oonagh's father or sperm donor. There has been speculation that Heard is considering a permanent move to Spain so she can live a more private life and start a new life with Oonagh, according to Hola! "By moving somewhere like Spain, she hopes to reinvent herself, leave her money woes behind, and start fresh with her daughter," a source told the National Enquirer (via The News).
Heard is a hands-on parent
Heard has documented life with her daughter on Instagram by sharing snippets of their day-to-day activities, and it seems the mother-daughter duo is inseparable, with the doting mom calling Oonagh her "mini-me" (via Instagram). From making smoothies with Oonagh to taking her around the world, Heard has displayed a hands-on parenting style and a commitment to being her daughter's sole carer. In one Instagram post, the proud mom is pictured in black gym clothes doing a bicep curl with one arm as she lifts baby Oonagh with the other. Heard fittingly captioned the photo "Multitasking mama."
Since July, Heard has been vacationing with her toddler. Heard and Oonagh were spotted on vacation in early October in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Holidaying away from the hustle and bustle of Heard's life as a Hollywood actress, the single mom was pictured following her active toddler around, taking her on swings, slides, and on other fun water park attractions. Going make-up-free, Heard looked relaxed and happy spending quality time with her daughter (via Hola!). Heard's lively expression is far from the worrisome one she displayed in court, proving motherhood is the actress' favorite role yet.