Why Amber Heard made decision to change name and flee the US with her daughter

Amber Heard is now expecting her second child after moving from the US to Spain, but why did she flee?

Heard, who is the mother to Oonagh Paige, is now pregnant again.

Having welcomed her first baby in 2021, her family is starting to grow after leaving her life behind for the calmness of Madrid.

The 38-year-old actress relocated from the United States and even went on to change her name in a shock move.

It was reported that she had also began using the name 'Martha Jane Cannary', in Madrid, which is actually the real name of the real-life gunslinger 'Calamity Jane' who was played by Doris Day in a film of the same name.

Heard has a three-and-a-half year old she welcomed via surrogate, with Heard sharing on Instagram that ‘decided I wanted to have a child,' and 'I wanted to do it on my own terms.'

Amber Heard fled the US for a life in Spain (Instagram/amberheard)

She added: "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.

"I hope we arrive at a point in which it’s normalized to not want a ring in order to have a crib."

Regarding her pregnancy, a spokesperson for the actress told People: "It is still quite early in the pregnancy, so you will appreciate that we do not want to go into much detail at this stage. Suffice to say that Amber is delighted both for herself and Oonagh Paige.”

However, after appearing in films such as the Ghost Rider, Aquaman and London Fields, she decided that it was time to start afresh.

But the choice wasn’t made lightly.

In fact, it came right after she was entangled in a highly publicised and contentious legal battle with her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.

Heard and Depp were married between 2015-2017, after meeting on the set of The Rum Diaries.

At the time, Depp was with the mother of his children, model Vanessa Paradis for 14 years.

But after meeting and marrying Heard, it was alleged that he had performed physical and sexual abuse during their marriage, however, Depp denied her claims.

According to sources, she did it to start fresh after her divorce (Instagram/amberheard)

What really kicked off the tumultuous whirlwind of legal battles is when Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, titled 'I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture's wrath. That has to change’ and was sued by her former husband as he claimed she had defamed him.

However, his name was not mentioned in the piece.

According to those who are close to her, the televised trial in 2022 was too much for her to handle and the aftermath was even worse.

This led to her moving away after the case ruled in Depp's favour.

But, it was apparently the best thing she could have done for herself and her child.

Conor Allyn, a director who worked with Heard on the 2023 release In the Fire, told People: "She's living her best life in Spain with her daughter and just finding happiness in that way."

He added: "I think people carry trauma for a long time.

“Having gone through something like that on a global epic scale — you never just put that in a suitcase and stick in the attic and never see it again."

“The trial was beyond stressful, and she wanted to start fresh,” a source at the time agreed, adding that she 'has new energy and is focused on things that she loves.'

Another source added: "She’s independent and smart. She needs to heal."

Right now, she’s focusing on being a mother.

But she's not the only one who moved, as Depp also decided to take up life in another country - the UK in Somerset last year and owns a whopping £13 million estate.

So, maybe there's something in changing the scenery to begin healing.