Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp is desperate to marry his long-term love VANESSA PARADIS - but he's waiting for her to make the all-important move.

The 41-year-old Finding Neverland actor admits the pair, who have been together for seven years and have two children LILY-ROSE, 6 , JACK, 3, are already as good as husband and wife, but insists the proposal has to come from her.

He says, "For all intents and purposes we are married. We have two kids together and she is the woman in my life.

"But if she ever said: 'Hey, let's get hitched,' I would do it in a second.

"We'll do it if the kids want us to, or maybe when the kids are old enough to enjoy it with us."

But Depp has reservations about heading up the aisle with his girlfriend, because he'd hate to ruin her maiden name.

He says, "It would be a shame to ruin her last name! It's so perfect - Vanessa Paradis. So beautiful.

"It would be such a drag to stick her with Paradis-Depp. It's like a flat note."

12/07/2005 05:30