Johnny Depp will  donate one million dollars (£780,000) of his legal settlement with his ex-wife Amber Heard to charity, the PA news agency understands.

The Hollywood star was awarded 10.3 million dollars (£8 million) in damages following the high-profile defamation case in June 2022.

He had sued the Aquaman star over an article she had written in the Washington Post in 2018, which his lawyers said falsely accused him of being an abuser.

Following a six-week trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, jurors returned a verdict in Depp’s favour.

In December, Heard said she had made the “very difficult decision” to reach a settlement in the case, which PA understands to be in the amount of one million dollars.

A source close to Depp confirmed to PA on Friday that the money would be split between five charities.

They include the Make-A-Film Foundation, Red Feather, The Painted Turtle, the Tetiaroa Society, and the Amazonia Fund Alliance.

After the settlement was announced, Depp’s lawyers said they were “pleased to formally close the door on this painful chapter”.