Johnny Depp turned to alcohol because he hated being a teen idol.

The 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' star admitted he used to be so uncomfortable with fame after his profile skyrocketed following his role in TV show '21 Jump Street' that he "drank his guts out" every night in order to cope with it.

He said: "If the choice is to be gawked at constantly or to sit in a dark room, I'd choose the dark room.

"I felt as if I had been turned into a novelty and it was mortifying.

"When I was in a social situation, I was nervous and uncomfortable. The only way I could get through it was to drink my guts out. I wasted a lot of years."

While Johnny eventually cleaned up his act after meeting Vanessa Paradis - with whom he has two children, Lily-Rose, 12, and Jack, nine - he admits having a few glasses of wine with his partner of almost 14 years is his idea of a perfect evening.

He added in an interview with the Daily Mail newspaper: "A glass or two of wine before dinner is my favourite thing, watching the sunset and the kiddies playing nearby. It's perfection."