Johnny Depp declares he is 'on the verge of a new life' as he accepts honour in Serbia

Johnny Depp declared he is "on the verge of a new life" as he accepted a medal in Serbia on Tuesday.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, who has fallen from grace in recent years, received the gold medal of merit from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a ceremony in Belgrade.

During his acceptance speech, he said, "I'm right now on the verge of a new life and I like it, I like a re-beginning. And I would love for that beginning to start here, in Serbia, if you'll have me."

He also said, "I truly, sincerely thank you, President Vucic. This medal of merit, if I'm given the honour to walk away with this and you've been kind enough to bestow it upon me, I will stay true to it and I will do everything in power to make this the embodiment of my commitment here.

"So thank you again, bless you, I am truly honoured. From the bottom of my heart, from the very core of me, I humbly, and in great humility, accept this huge honour and I'll never let it down, so thank you."

The 58-year-old received the medal for his "outstanding merits in public and cultural activities, especially in the field of film art and the promotion of the Republic of Serbia in the world". Depp shot some of his 2020 film Minamata in the country and has a voice role in the Serbian animated series Puffins Impossible.

The actor was dropped from the Fantastic Beasts franchise and his work in Hollywood dried up after he lost his libel trial against The Sun newspaper in November 2020. He took the publisher to court for calling him "wife beater", relating to domestic violence allegations made by his ex-wife Amber Heard, and a judge later ruled her claims were "substantially true".

However, he continues to find work in Europe, and it was recently announced that he will play French King Louis XV in French director Maïwenn's next film, which will shoot in Paris this summer.