Actor Johnny Depp was desperate for his parents to break up as he grew tired of their constant fighting throughout his childhood.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star admits his upbringing was blighted by arguments between his dad John and mother Betty Sue, and he longed for them to end their unhappy marriage.

He says, "I recall hearing my parents argue and thinking: 'Come on, this is torture. Just split!' They stuck it out until I was 15, but I'd seen it coming for years. When they finally did divorce, I thought: 'OK, this is the right thing.'

"My mom got ill after my father left, so my attention was taken up in making sure she was OK. I didn't have the time until later to mourn that loss of a sense of family, however unhappy."

Slideshow: The Brooding Johnny Depp