Why did Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder break up? Stranger Things star's current love life explored 

Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder dated for four years before breaking up. (Image via Getty Images/Barry King)
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder dated for four years before breaking up. (Image via Getty Images/Barry King)

American actor Johnny Depp's past relationships have become a media favourite ever since his high-profile defamation case against estranged wife Amber Heard began.

However, of all of them, Johnny Depp's relationship with actress Winona Ryder was the most talked about in tinsel town. The pair first met at the premiere of Great Balls of Fire! in 1989 and went on to date for four years.

Johnny Depp and Ryder also starred in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands and quickly became Hollywood's "It" couple after they got engaged within five months of dating. The 58-year-old Johnny Depp even got a "Winona Forever" tattoo to honor Ryder, but later changed its wording to "Wino Forever" after their break up.

After Johnny Depp and the actress separated in 1993, a representative for Winona Ryder stated:

"They are young, and they grew apart."

However, in an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Johnny Depp talked about how his relationship with Ryder was affected because of their fame.

“It’s very hard to have a personal life in this town. My relationship with Winona, it was my mistake to be as open as we were, but I thought if we were honest it would destroy that curiosity monster. Instead it fed it, gave people license to feel they were part of it.”

Ever since then, Winona Ryder has been extremely private about her relationships and hardly talks about them. But not many people know that she has been dating Mackinlay Hahn for more than a decade now.


Winona Ryder is in a committed relationship with Mackinlay Hahn after Johnny Depp

Winona Ryder has been dating Mackinlay Hahn since 2011 however, she first hinted at being with someone in 2016 in an interview with The Edit. She said that she had been:

"Happily with someone for quite a while now."

In the same year, the Girl, Interrupted star and her partner made their red carpet debut at the premiere of the first season of Stranger Things.

As per reports, Mackinlay Hahn is a fashion designer who has co-founded a clothing line called Loomstate.

In a 2010 interview with Racked, Hahn said his firm sprang from a desire to build a company that is both sustainable and successful.

"Even though it's this idea of being environmentally conscious, inspired by nature, and socially responsible, it was really born out of wanting to make our factory profitable. It has to go hand-in-hand. And we wanted to create criteria that raised the bar in supply chain operations. So, using certified organic cotton was the only way we were going to make jeans."

In a 2012 interview with Time, he noted that the company is focused on the production of organic cotton in order to reduce the environmental damage that regular cotton cultivation creates. The same year, Loomstate created Chipotle's uniforms.

Hahn is also a board member of the Council for Textile Recycling and serves as the head of the Sustainability Steering Committee for the Council of Fashion Designer of America (CFDA).


Mackinlay Hahn has been seen several times with Winona Ryder

Although Hahn normally keeps a quiet profile, he has shown his support for Ryder at a number of red carpet events. On July 11, 2016, the pair made their red carpet debut at the Stranger Things season 1 premiere.

Hahn also attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards with his girlfriend in January 2020, dressed in a stylish black suit. Ryder matched his attire, which was a Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2018 black wool jacket with winged sleeves, over a pleated tiered shirt and skirt.

Most recently, the couple were pictured together at the Stranger Things season 4 New York premiere on May 14, 2022, when they matched in coordinated navy blue suits.

Although he takes out time to be with Ryder, Hahn has mentioned before that he spends most of time in Brooklyn, New York.

"The reality of moving to Bushwick gave me light and space I didn't have in New York City — in a community that's kind of an industrial utopia. It was definitely more inspiring artistically in a way."

Although the duo have been dating for 11 years, they might never get married because Ryder does not want a divorce. While talking to People Magazine, she said:

"Marriage? I don't know. I'd rather never have been married than been divorced a few times. Not that there's anything wrong with divorce, but I don't think I could do it if that was a possibility. When your parents are madly in love for 45 years, your standards are really high."

Winona Ryder recently starred in the fourth season of Stranger Things, which is streaming on Netflix.

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