How old was Winona Ryder when she dated Johnny Depp? Stranger Things star opens up on struggling to take care of herself after split

Winona Ryder recently opened up about her past relationship with Johnny Depp during an interview for the cover of Harper's BAZAAR's July 2022 digital issue. The Stranger Things star started dating Depp in 1989 when she was 17.

The duo had a whirlwind romance which ultimately came to an end in 1993. During her recent interview, Ryder described her breakup with Depp as her "my Girl, Interrupted real-life moment," referring to her 1999 film about mental health issues.

The actress recalled filming for the 1994 drama The House of the Spirits following the split and how she struggled to deal with her emotions:

“I remember, I was playing this character who ends up getting tortured in a Chilean prison [in the 1994 drama The House of the Spirits]. I would look at these fake bruises and cuts on my face [from the shoot], and I would struggle to see myself as this little girl.”

Winona Ryder further revealed that she also realized she was not taking care of herself after the breakup:

“'Would you be treating this girl like you're treating yourself?' I remember looking at myself and saying, 'This is what I'm doing to myself inside.' Because I just wasn't taking care of myself.”

The latest revelation comes after Ryder spoke to Time magazine about Depp amid his ongoing legal battle with Amber Heard. At the time, she said that Depp was never abusive towards her during their relationship:

“I can only speak from my own experience, which was wildly different than what is being said. He was never, never that way towards me. Never abusive at all towards me. I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves.”

Ryder also shared that she started dating Depp when she was young and spent four years with him and mentioned that the accusations against the actor left her shocked:

“Look, it was a long time ago, but we were together for four years, and it was a big relationship for me. Imagine if someone you dated when you were — I was 17 when I met him — was accused of that. It's just shocking. I have never seen him be violent toward a person before.”

During her most recent interview, Winona Ryder said that she never opened up about her separation from Depp as it is "very private," and those days hold a "place in her heart."

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A look into Winona Ryder's relationship with Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder started dating in 1989 (Image via Getty Images)

Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp were one of Hollywood's most popular couples in the 90s. The duo first met at the premiere of the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire! in New York City and reportedly went on a date two months later.

Depp once described their meeting as love at first sight while speaking to the Rolling Stones in 1991:

“I was getting a Coke. It was a classic glance, like, the zoom lenses in West Side Story, and everything else gets foggy.”

The pair reportedly got engaged a few months after their first date and starred together in the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands. Depp also got a tattoo saying "Winona Forever" dedicated to his fiancé.

Speaking about their relationship, Winona Ryder told Cinema that the Pirates of the Caribbean star was her first real love:

“I had my first real relationship with Johnny, a fiercely deep love that I don’t know that I’ll ever have again. The first love is like that isn’t it? I don’t know today. It was a real wild time back then.”

Unfortunately, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder parted ways in 1993 and called off their engagement after nearly four years of a relationship. The former even changed his tattoo to "Wino Forever" following their split.