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Johnny Depp is tying the knot...

Johnny Depp is set to wed long-term girlfriend Vanessa Paradis this

summer. The couple have toyed with the idea in the past but their

daughter Lily-Rose's recent illness has 'spurred them into action',

according to a source. The couple's seven-year-old was hospitalized in

London for nine days in March suffering from E.coli food poisoning and

her condition was touch and go.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star and Vanessa, 34, were both at their

daughter's bedside. Depp, 43, refused to return to the set of his

latest film Sweeney Todd in London until she was out of danger,

forcing filming to be stopped. The source, who lives in the village,

said: 'Johnny and Vanessa have one of the strongest relationships in

Hollywood but after their daughter was taken ill the family became an

even closer-knit unit.

They have talked about marriage on and off for a long time but the

recent emotional roller-coaster they have had to endure seems to have

spurred them into action. The couple, who have been together for eight

years and have two children, are understood to be planning a discreet

ceremony in the south of France where they live. However locals will

be disappointed if they expect to catch a glimpse of the newly weds.

Rather than marry in the local church, L'eglise St Martin, the couple

are expected to hold the ceremony in the ancient chapel within the

50-acre grounds of their idyllic rural hideaway in the tiny village of

Plan de la Tour, an hour from St Tropez.

The source said: 'We understand they will marry this summer. Villagers

thought they would wed in the church here but we now hear that they

have a little chapel in the grounds of their home.

'It wouldn't make sense they would celebrate there because they don't

like drawing attention to themselves. The whole reason they live here

is because they like the quiet life.'

The couple's two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, four, will attend along

with just a clutch of friends.

The couple have been living mainly in Richmond, Surrey this year while

Depp fulfils his filming commitments but they make frequent trips to

their palatial French villa.

Local taxi driver Jean-Philippe Reno, 44, said: 'They are a very

private couple. We often see them out and about in the village but no

one would dream of hassling them. That's the reason Johnny likes it

here so much. 'There's no paparazzi. He can just be a normal person.

It's no surprise that they want to celebrate in the privacy of their

home.' According to French law, the couple must obtain legal consent

from the mayor to marry. Once the formalities are over couples are

then free to have a religious ceremony.

A spokeswoman for Plan de la Tour's mayor, Florence Lanliard, refused

to comment on the rumor. She said: 'We never discuss personal issues.

We will not make any comment about Johnny Depp or Vanessa Paradis.'

With a population of 2000, it is easy to see why camera-shy Depp loves

Plan de la Tour. If they are at home, without fail they will drive in

their black Chrysler Voyager to the Thursday outdoor market where they

select their fruit and vegetables and even buy clothes from the

bargain racks. At the market last week locals gossiped about the

village playing host to the wedding of one of Hollywood's hottest

stars.

Stephanie, who is in her 40s, said: 'The villagers couldn't be happier

for them. But the truth of the matter is, they are such a private

family we probably won't know they have married until after the event.

There don't court attention. They love it here because they can blend

in and just be a normal family.'

Depp bought his French villa seven years ago from a German family for

�750,000. Dotted around the vast grounds are five other houses,

occupied the housekeeper, gardener and security. The tiny chapel is

behind the house on the edge of the vineyards. There is no give-away

that this is the residence of one of Hollywood's greatest actors. Even

the security cameras are out of sight, hidden in the trees. But step

inside the house and there would be no mistaking.

It has every modern luxury. The master bedroom even has its own

swimming pool. A second, much larger pool is located in the garden

alongside the vegetable and herb patch. They have four ponies for the

children and a playground with swings, a slide and a sandpit. Depp

fell in love with France while shooting The Ninth Gate there in 1998.

Although Depp is not fluent in French he happily converses with the

locals, few of whom speak a single word of English. Lily Rose, who is

bilingual, has been heard many times correcting her father. The actor

has cited his children as a primary reason for his flight to France,

saying he wanted them to 'grow up in a very simple and calm

environment, where everything is not about the next movie or the next

success'.

The doting dad added: "I love the simple things: the sunrise, the

trees, the countryside. I can take a ride into the village and have a

coffee with my girl, and people say: "Hello Johnny. How are you?" I'm

not looking around for the paparazzi.'