In July 2021, Amber Heard revealed on Instagram that she had secretly become a mother, choosing to do so on her “own terms.” Although her daughter was born in April 2021, the Aquaman actress did not publicly announce the news until that July.
Heard had expressed her desire to have children in a 2015 interview with Marie Claire. At the time, she was a stepmother to her then-husband Johnny Depp’s children, Lily-Rose and Jack. She spoke about the honor of being a stepmother, describing it as the “greatest, most surprising gift” she had ever received. She also shared that being a stepmother had given her a newfound appreciation for life, allowing her to experience new colors and flavors that she had not known existed before.
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Who Is Oonagh Paige Heard?
Oonagh Paige Heard is the daughter of Amber, the renowned activist. She was born on April 8, 2021, making her the only child of the Aquaman star. In July, three months after her birth, Heard took to Instagram to share the happy news of her daughter’s arrival through a heartwarming post.
The Introduction Of A Child
Having been married to Johnny Depp for 15 months until May 2016, Heard had been in a previous relationship. However, she chose to have a child on her own terms, as she explained in her post announcing the news of her daughter’s arrival.
“Four years ago, I decided I wanted to have a child. I wanted to do it on my own terms,” she 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,” she continued, hinting at the use of surrogacy as her route to motherhood.
“I hope we arrive at a point in which it’s normalized to not want a ring in order to have a crib. 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,” the actress added.
Since introducing her daughter to the world, Heard has been unreserved in sharing photos of her on social media. She also gave followers a glimpse into her life as a single parent in a sweet photo posted in July 2021, where she held Oonagh Paige on her lap while working on her computer.
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Speciality Of The Name Paige
Heard’s daughter’s name appears to hold a special significance for the actress, with her middle name possibly serving as a tribute to her late mother, Paige Heard.
Heard shared the news of her mother’s passing in May 2020, a year before her daughter’s birth. In an Instagram post honoring her mother, she wrote: “I am heartbroken and devastated beyond belief at the loss of my mom, Paige Heard. 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. Her unflinching, open heart made her the most beautiful woman I had ever known. It’s hard to imagine and even more difficult to say but I feel truly lucky to have been her daughter and been given the gift of having the light she shone on everyone, fall on me for nearly 34 years. This has been an unbelievably painful time but in that, I am reminded of what survives us all, love. The kindness, support, and generosity my sister Whit and I have received from friends and family has been utterly soul-saving.”
While Heard hasn’t elaborated on the inspiration behind her daughter’s name, it’s evident that the Aquaman star named her child after her beloved mother.
Oonagh was born via a surrogate
Friends revealed that Oonagh was born via surrogate after Heard was “told she would never be able to carry her own baby.”
“The most important thing for Amber is that she’s open about Oonagh’s birth, “There are so many women who feel they can’t talk about their fertility and are worried and embarrassed; Amber wants them to feel supported and realize that there are a multitude of ways to have a baby even if you have fertility issues.”
Who Is Oonagh Father?
Amber Heard has chosen not to disclose the identity of her daughter’s father, leaving fans to speculate. Some have speculated that her ex-partner, Elon Musk, maybe the father, as it was reported in 2020 that the two were in a legal dispute over frozen embryos they had created together.
According to a friend of Heard’s sister and mother, Jennifer Howell, “Paige told me… she was in a legal battle with him over the rights to embryos they had created together. He wanted to destroy them, and Amber tried to keep them to have a baby.” Despite the speculation, Heard has referred to herself as both the mother and father to her daughter and has lovingly called her “the boss.”
Heard has expressed her hope that her defamation trial will have significance for her daughter, Oonagh Paige, in the future.
In early June, Amber Heard was still feeling upset following the verdict in her defamation case, which mostly sided with her ex-husband Johnny Depp. However, despite her disappointment, she was looking forward to spending more time with her daughter, Oonagh Paige. An insider revealed that Heard wanted to focus on her baby girl for now, as the trial had taken away a lot of special mommy time.
Heard later shared with Today’s Savannah Guthrie that she was excited to be a full-time mom without having to juggle calls with lawyers. When asked about what she would tell her daughter Oonagh Paige Heard about everything she had gone through, Heard responded that no matter what, it would mean something and that she did everything she could to stand up for herself and the truth.
During Heard’s testimony at her and Johnny Depp’s defamation trial, she made a reference to her daughter.
During her testimony on May 17, 2022, Heard made a reference to her daughter without mentioning her by name, stating that she wanted to move on with her life because she had a child to focus on. “I want to move on with my life. I have a baby. I have to move on. I want to move on, and I want Johnny to move on too,” she told the jurors.
