Last month Amber Heard celebrated her 30th birthday at the trendy Parker hotel in Palm Springs.

Heard (left) was happily spending time with friends just before the divorce news broke this week. Photo: Instagram/Amanda de Cadenet

Surrounded by a group of girlfriends, the only thing missing at the low-key poolside celebration was her husband of 14 months, Johnny Depp.

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The actress was also noticeably solo at this year’s Met Gala, an event she and Depp attended together two years earlier after news of their engagement first broke.

It’s now clear Heard’s alone time was a sign of what was to come, with the actress filing for divorce from Depp on Monday this week.

To read Johnny Depp’s statement, click here

Their whirlwind romance began on the set of 2011’s The Rum Diary, with Depp admitting he fell for the Texan starlet post-production.

“She was in my head, so I tracked her down. We tracked each other down,” the now-52-year-old actor said of Heard, who is 22 years his junior.

Watch Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in The Rum Diary:

Their chemistry in the film was palpable, but apparently not enough to sustain a marriage plagued by controversy — particularly the Australian “dog-smuggling” saga.

While Heard was a star in her own right prior to marrying Depp, the relationship has undoubtedly boosted her profile.

Amber Heard and her father, David, with whom she remains very close. Photo: Getty

Her roles in several upcoming blockbusters, plus her request for spousal support from her husband (which he has rejected), should ensure she remains in the spotlight.

Here’s what you need to know about the beautiful, outspoken Texan stunner whom Depp described as “sharp as a tack”.

A rough-and-ready childhood

Born and raised in Austin, Heard probably inherits her tenacity from her father, who trained wild horses for a living.

An avid hunter, he was keen for her to be the son he never had.

“I was his hunting, fishing and camping buddy growing up, although I’m probably one of the most feminine women you’ll ever meet,” Heard told the Daily Mail.

“He still hunts quail, dove and pheasant and I still go with him, as a bonding father-daughter thing.”

Heard admitted her father’s penchant for guns scared potential suitors off as a teenager.

Heard in her 2011 film, Drive Angry.

“He was pretty strict, and I think that something about the shotguns he owned maybe scared them. I was always into older men as a teenager. I never dated in my school; that was a ridiculous idea to me,” she told the Mail.

A gun advocate

Her father’s love of guns rubbed off on Heard, who is outspoken in her support for gun ownership in America.

“I’m a good shot and I love guns — I own several … I sleep with my gun in a place that’s close enough that if I needed to protect myself, I could,” Heard has said.

“I’m fully trained and I’m an active member of a gun club. I’m definitely pro-gun.”

A car enthusiast

Heard also has a passion for American “muscle cars” and drives a 1968 Mustang — which has been stolen three times.

Last year, Depp and her father teamed up to “steal” the car a fourth time, secretly taking it to be made over on reality show Overhaulin’.

Watch Amber Heard’s reaction to her car makeover on Overhaulin’

An outspoken advocate

Heard, who came out as bisexual in 2010, is an avid supporter of LGBTI rights.

Heard and ex-girlfriend Tasya Van Ree. Photo: Getty

Her last relationship before meeting Depp was with photographer Tasya van Ree. The pair dated for four years.

“I don’t label myself one way or another. I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman,” Heard said in 2010.

The 30-year-old is also an atheist. She reportedly favours the writings of conservative hero Ayn Rand over religion.

An obvious talent

Although acting didn’t run in the family, Heard surprised her parents by relocating to Los Angeles at the age of 17 to pursue a film career.

Last year, she appeared in Oscar-nominated film The Danish Girl. She’s also nabbed a coveted role in the upcoming DC Comics Justice League franchise as Mera, the wife of Aquaman.

Unlike many of her famous peers, Heard has said her career is worth the craziness and invasion of privacy fame brings.

“I love … the inconsistency and the travel and the struggle,” she told Vanity Fair. “You’re constantly put in a state of fight or flight.

“I don’t know if I could have it any other way.”