Johnny Depp has described the time his daughter was admitted to hospital in Britain eight years ago with kidney failure as “the darkest period in my life”.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star Depp was speaking to BBC talk show host Graham Norton in an episode due to be broadcast on Friday (November 27th), and recalled the time his daughter Lily-Rose, now 16, was taken to Great Ormond Street hospital with kidney failure brought on by E. coli poisoning, while Depp was filming in Pinewood Studios.

Amber Heard Johnny DeppJohnny Depp with his second wife Amber Heard

“When my daughter was ill in Great Ormond Street, it was the darkest period of my life,” the devoted father mused. “I’d always done these visits but after that experience the visits became more and more important. The kids are so courageous but to be able to bring a smile or a giggle to the parents means everything in the world to me.”

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Lily-Rose is the eldest of his two children he had with his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Paradis – their son Jack is 13. He revealed that he now takes the chance to pay staff back at children’s hospitals every time he can, and that it gives him great fulfilment to do the visits dressed as his Captain Jack Sparrow character. “For me it’s a gift. They give me the gift.”

Depp, now married to 29 year old actress Amber Heard, is in London to promote the upcoming release of his critically-acclaimed film Black Mass, in which he portrays the notorious Boston crime boss James ‘Whitey’ Bulger. The role has been highly praised, with many heralding Depp's 'comeback' after a number of high-profile box office disappointments in the last few years.

He joked that he was in Britain so frequently because he was angling for a knighthood. “I end up here quite a lot. I’m after the "Sir" thing,” he smiled.

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